


Layers of the Onion

by Nevyn



Category: Castle
Genre: Action, Angst, Drama, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Masturbation, Romance, Sex, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-24
Updated: 2014-02-14
Packaged: 2017-12-21 05:37:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 34,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/896430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nevyn/pseuds/Nevyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beckett stumbles across something confusing about Castle and his mysterious past. Detective senses tingling, she goes on the hunt to peel a layer off the Castle onion. Angst, romance, action and humor ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Skeletons in the closet

**Author's Note:**

> I've been holding off posting this one here, as it is much more of a work-in-progress (and a lot less steamy) than the other offerings I have shared on this site.  
> That being said, it's taken a decidedly smutty turn, and I could no longer in good conscience keep it from you.
> 
> My profound thanks to Manuxinhace for all her efforts with this... It was/is my first multi-chapter fic, and has now been 'in progress' for *blinks* years. Oops! She has pushed, prodded, cajoled and outright threatened me at times to keep this ball rolling. *hugs* thanks, hun!
> 
> Without further ado, on with the story...

**8:00am Monday, 12** **th** **Precinct.**

Beckett left the elevator and made her way over to her desk. Dumping her bag in the bottom drawer, she turned her computer on and leaned back, waiting for the machine to boot up. Stretching, she drew in a deep breath, trying to wake herself up. Halfway through breathing in, she froze, sniffing the air. Stronger than normal, she caught the distinctive scent of Castle's cologne. Almost as familiar to her as her own cherry-scented shampoo, she would know that smell just about anywhere.

Confused, she glanced over to 'his' chair, seeing it empty. A quick glance around the bull-pen didn't enlighten her any further - it was deserted. Laughing at herself, she typed her password into the computer and set about clearing some paperwork backlog, the mystery of the cologne still playing in the back of her mind as she worked.

* * *

**9:00am Monday, 12** **th** **Precinct.**

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal the 12th's resident author, coffee and bear-claw in hand as per usual. He made his way over to Beckett's desk, and handed over the morning pick-me-up, saying

"Good morning Detective! No bodies yet, I see?" Gratefully accepting the coffee, Beckett took a long sip, and leaned back in her chair, allowing the hot beverage to work it's magic for a few seconds before she responded.

"Thanks, Castle. You are in early this morning, considering we don't have a case yet..."

"Yeah," He replied, an small smile on his face. "For some reason, I woke up before midday, and couldn't get back to sleep. All this hanging around with you guys must be starting to rub off on me. Who knows, maybe I'll even find a normal work ethic buried around here!"

"Hah! Castle, I don't know what happened to your work ethic, but the only place you'll find it would be down at the lost property office."

"Oh, Beckett, you wound me!"

"I wish, Castle... Now, unless you want me to find some duct tape, you wanna let me get some more work done?"

Castle pouted for a second or two, before he pulled out his phone and started checking his Twitter feed, making a point of being quiet. Keeping an eye on him for a few minutes in her peripheral vision, Beckett smirked and went back to filling out her paperwork, almost wishing a case would pop up and give her a decent excuse to delay the paperwork even longer. Niggling at the back of her mind was the thought that today didn't seem any different than normal, other than the mysterious case of Castle's unexplained presence so early in the morning, and the way he showed no outward sign of his early arrival.

* * *

**11:30pm Monday, Beckett's Apartment**

Sighing happily, Beckett slipped into her bubble bath and reached for her glass of wine, letting the luxurious heat from the water pull the fatigue from her muscles. Taking a mouthful of the wine, she picked up her book, but stopped short of opening it. Turning it over, she glanced at the picture of Castle on the back cover of  _A Hail of Bullets_ , idly running her fingers down the spine of the book, feeling the raised lettering. Although she spent more time reading the Nikki Heat novels these days, Beckett occasionally returned to it and would read it almost in auto-pilot, her eyes skimming over the words as her mind filled in the blanks the way it would with a old favorite movie that you know so well you barely need it on to 'watch' it.

Thinking about her partner, she turned her mind once more to the puzzling scent of him in the precinct this morning at such an early hour. In the last three years or so, she hadn't noticed him coming in before 9am  _ever_ , it was usually closer to half past, or even nearly ten if he had had a late night, or just felt like a sleep-in.

 _Why would he be there so early_?, she thought.  _We finished our last case Friday afternoon, there would have been no reason for him to be there at that hour... The place was deserted when I got in at eight._  Mulling the thought over for a few minutes, she decided that the only real way she could get an answer was to try getting to the precinct even earlier tomorrow, in the hopes of finding out what he was up to, assuming she hadn't imagined it, and that he would be there two mornings in a row. 

 _I could always ask him what he was doing there at such an early hour, alone, but that would lead to him asking me how the hell I knew he had been in..._ Beckett grimaced slightly as a blush crept up her cheeks, thinking about the conversation that she definitely didn't want to have with her partner.  _I_ _ **really**_ _don't want to explain to him that I recognized his cologne, that would be more than just a little bit awkward!_

Taking another drink of her wine, she decided to set her alarm for an hour earlier than usual, and see what she could find out. That decided, she opened the book, and let the words of her favorite author wash over her as the night slipped slowly by.

* * *

**7:05am Tuesday, 12** **th** **Precinct**

Beckett walked quietly across the bull-pit, the air sill and quiet. Reaching her desk, she immediately noticed a bottle of water on the edge, right where Castle usually placed his coffee of a morning. Frowning, she did a quick inventory, and found nothing else out of place. Sniffing the air, she didn't smell his cologne either. Puzzled, she did a quick search of the immediate area, and failed to find any trace of him.

The break room was empty, although the coffee machine was turned on and hot, the smell of a freshly made coffee hanging in the air. Looking around, she didn't see any dirty cups or teaspoons in the sink. Her detective senses tingling, she quickly ran her fingertips over the cups in the cupboard, and grinned to herself as she found one to be warm, as if it had been used, washed and dried and put away only moments ago.

Thoroughly intrigued, she made her way down the hall, past the toilets, listening at the door to the men's room. Nothing but silence met her ears.

Wracking her brains, she went still as she thought she heard a grunt of effort from further down the hall. Almost holding her breath, she made her way to the gym, where she thought the noise had come from.

Slowly, carefully, she eased the door open a crack and peered in. With the door open a little, she could now hear the sounds of somebody exercising: quick, short breaths, and the occasional grunt of exertion. Opening the door further, she saw a broad set of shoulders, rhythmically hunching forward in a rapid set of crunches. About to close the door again, she paused as something nudged at her brain. She  _knew_  those shoulders, she had just never seen them without a shirt on, and there was no way she could mistake that hair! She drew breath to call out to her partner, but cut herself short as he flipped from doing crunches to doing push-ups. Beckett noticed that all he was wearing was a set of black bike shorts, and a set of gloves that covered his fists. His arms worked steadily, supporting himself on his knuckles, the rest of him covered in nothing more than a light sheen of sweat. Her absent-minded perusal of his body faltered as she realised that he had been going for close to a minute, doing at least two push-ups a second, and hadn't so much as slowed down yet.

 _Oh my!_  She thought,  _I had no idea what he was hiding under those designer suits... He's certainly got nothing to be ashamed of, so why hasn't he at least shown those arms off out of hours?_ Reaching the end of his set, Castle stood up and quickly ran through some stretches before heading over to the punching bags. It was all Beckett could do not to gape as she watched him move. Gone was the casual saunter of the bored millionaire playboy, gone was the amiable stroll of the man who had shadowed her for the last three years. He moved across the room with a focus and determination that she had never seen before. He was all grace and power, his muscles moving under his skin like a panther stalking prey.

Pausing for an instant at the bag, he set himself before proceeding to unleash a flurry of kicks, punches and strikes at the bag. Beckett's brain whirled, wondering how on earth Castle knew moves like those, and was even further stunned when he picked the pace of his attacks up, the intensity of the blows making an almost-continuous noise as he put everything into his routine. Minutes passed, and as his breathing started to come faster he pulled back from the bag slightly, his guard up, and started a vicious series of kicks that seemed to go on for another couple of minutes. Beckett stepped back, allowing the door to close silently as she made her way to the ladies toilets and slipped inside a cubicle, before pulling a lid down and sitting on it, hoping that the noise of her escape would not be heard over the sound of Castle's workout.

Stunned, she sat on the lid for close to twenty minutes, her mind working back over everything she could remember her partner saying or doing since she had met him all those years ago. Frowning, she sought some clue as to how she had missed something so huge. Her memory threw up a flag: Diana Edward's apartment, when the Nigerian passport incident happened, and the fire fight that followed - Castle had been as cool under fire as herself, and had not only been able to find a way to pin down Baylor, but kept his cool and drew the bad guy's fire long enough for her to take the shot. She remembered the time she had been down to the pistol range and found him there. Her laughter at his mediocre skills still echoing around the range, he placed three rapid shots in the ten-ring almost without thought. That memory triggered another one: the night he had shot Kitty Canary, when he returned from the Hampton's for the summer. She recalled the look of total concentration on his face as he squeezed off that single shot to hit Kitty in the shoulder, the bullet missing Beckett by inches, even as she fired over his own shoulder.

She flashed back to the night they captured Hal Lockwood, seeing in her mind's eye how an unarmed Castle had not hesitated to tackle the trained assassin, and beat him into unconsciousness. She also remembered talking to Alexis, how they had both laughed at Castle's fascination with fencing and his constant laser tag games, chalking them up to his child-like innocence. Now, Beckett wondered if those youthful, exuberant pastimes masked a much less playful background. Finally, she let her mind drift back to one of their earlier conversations, about personal perspectives, about driving forces, and their mutual fascination with death. She realised that he had managed to deduce at a significant portion of her motivation for joining the police force in short order, but he had skilfully deflected her own questions about his own past.

She still had no idea why he wrote about murder and death and violence so much, so easily, and so well.

Her train of thought was disturbed when she heard the sounds of the showers next door start. Beckett allowed her mind to drift for a few minutes as she idly daydreamed about the impressive physique her partner had hidden from her the past three years. A wicked smile crept across her lips as she imagined him next door, in the steam, rivulets of water cascading down his body as he sluiced the sweat and soap off, before her fantasy was diverted by the sudden cessation of noise from the showers.

Cautiously, she waited until she heard the door to the change rooms close, and his footsteps fade away as he made his way down the hall towards the elevator. Waiting another couple of minutes, just to be sure, Beckett left the toilets and walked down the hall, a quick sniff of the air confirming his path through the precinct. Reaching her desk again, she noted that the water bottle has disappeared. Out of habit, she checked the small garbage bin next to the desk, to see if he had been careless enough to leave the empty bottle behind. Seeing the bin empty, she wondered how a man so... haphazard with tidiness at his home had the forethought to take his trash with him as he left the precinct. Deciding to start 'Operation Find Out Stuff' when he returned later on, Beckett sat down and turned her computer on, determined to clear at least half her backlog before the rest of her team showed up.

* * *

**9:15am Tuesday, 12** **th** **Precinct**

Beckett smiled as her partner made his way over to her desk, the usual supplies in hand.

"Hey, Castle." She quipped. "You wet the bed again?" Handing over her breakfast, he replied.

"Still thinking about me and beds, Beckett? For your information, I couldn't sleep, again. So I got up and took care of a few things before I came in on the off chance somebody had dropped dead already." Hiding her startled expression behind her bear-claw, Beckett wondered at just how skilfully he had deflected her enquiry, and began to ponder just how easily and naturally their banter had flowed, beginning to suspect that his covert exercise routine might be a more regular occurrence than she had assumed.

"You wish, Castle." She retorted, keeping her tone light. Before they had a chance to exchange any further witty repartee, they were cut off by Esposito, waving his notebook at them.

"We got a body, Esposito?" She called out, glancing over at her partner, who sat up straighter in his chair at the mention of murder and mayhem.

"Yeah, boss."

"Let's go then." They all stood up, and the working week began in earnest.

* * *

**1:15pm Tuesday, Murder Scene.**

Other than finding a dead young woman in a dumpster in an alley, with no obvious cause of death, and no wallet, the morning had been fairly routine. Beckett had paid much closer attention to her partner, although she wasn't sure how much of her covert scrutiny had gone unobserved by Castle. She could detect absolutely nothing out of the ordinary in his behavior. Not a hint about his early morning exertions showed, he seemed to be back to his normal, slightly goofy, wise-cracking self.

"Ok, you two." She said, looking over to Esposito and Ryan who were putting their notebooks away. "We'll catch you back at the precinct. Until we get a CoD or an ID on our victim, there's not a lot we can do here." She turned and started walking back to the car, waiting until she hear Castle's footsteps behind her before she turned to him and asked,

"So, Castle, feel like grabbing something to eat on the way back?" Castle glanced at her, then at his watch, and frowned.

"Ok, who are you, and what have you done with the real Detective Beckett?" She looked at him, puzzled, so he continued. "The  _real_  Beckett needs to be forcibly reminded about stopping for food, you know?" She laughed, and acknowledged his point.

"I'm not Natalie Rhodes trying to 'get into character' again, if that's what you are getting at. I dunno... Maybe since some of our work ethic is rubbing off on you, maybe some of your appetite is catching. Feel like Remy's?"

"Sounds like a plan, Detective." He replied, a smirk on his lips.

* * *

**1:30pm, Remy's**

They made their way into their regular booth and sat down. Within seconds, a waitress was there, notepad out.

"So, what'll it be, guys?' She asked, smiling politely at them. The duo looked at each other for a split second, before replying at the same time.

"The usual." Grinning at the thought that they ate there enough to be known on sight, and have a 'usual', they sat back in an easy silence as they waited for their shakes to be brought out.

Once the drinks arrived, Beckett took a sip, and spoke, trying to keep her voice casual.

"You know, Castle, I have been thinking..."

"About what?"

"About a lot of stuff, actually, but there's a few things I was hoping you could clear up for me..." Intrigued, he sat forward and placed his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his hands.

"Shoot."

"Well, this is going to sound a bit odd, but just hear me out, ok?"

"Sure thing, Beckett... Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I just..." She took another drink of her shake to steady herself, before taking the plunge. "I never really realised how much of an onion you were." He raised his eyebrows, a confused look on his face. "You remember a while back, I teased you about 'peeling back the layers of the Beckett onion'...?"

"Um, yes?"

"Well, I just thought you'd actually come a fair way since then, you have gotten a fair few layers deeper than just about anybody I know, with my mothers' case, and Royce, and my dad, and all that... I only really thought about it today... you are just as much an onion as me." Startled, Castle sat back, wondering where on earth she was heading with her line of enquiry.

"Beckett, I..." She cut him off quickly.

"No, Castle, please, I need you to just listen for a moment, I need to get this out while it is clear in my head. I realised not long after we started working together that the playboy millionaire thing was nothing more than a facade for the public, and all your adoring fans. I realised that there was a real person somewhere under all that... glitz and charm. I saw it when I saw how you behave with Alexis, and your mother. It took me by surprise at first, I had never considered Richard Castle the family man, the doting father. Later, when I got to see you actually writing, rather than just reading the finished product, I could see the focus and determination when you were absorbed in your writing, and it was another glimpse into a side of you I hadn't imagined. After all the time we spent working together, I thought I could see the  _real_  Richard Castle, the relaxed guy you become when you are with friends, just mellowing out and enjoying yourself... I thought I had seen pretty much all the different sides of you that there were. Today, I realised there is a whole other side to you I never knew existed, Castle."

She paused, and took another few swallows of her shake. "I know how pissed off I was when you went behind my back to dig into my mothers' murder, I know how violated I felt, how you had abused my trust, but after a while, I could see how it helped me, and it felt... right... that you were the one to be able to help me with it. So I know what it is like to have somebody barge in an start rummaging around in your personal history. I realised that as of today, I don't actually  _know_  much about you, other than what I have lived through as your partner for three years, and whatever happens to be on the internet or the tabloids about your history. I thought about everything, and I don't know how I could have not asked more about you. How could I, as a detective dammit, not known more? As a friend, as a partner, how could I simply not know so much about you?" She shook her head, face dropping towards the table for a moment beofre meeting his eyes again.

"I know about Ryan, where he grew up, where he went to school, what he studied in college, why he took up law enforcement. I know about Esposito, his family, his past, I know the same kind of things about Lanie, so why don't I know any of that about you, Castle, why are you such a goddamn mystery?" Her cheeks flushed, and a look of sadness and shame on her face her eyes shimmered with pent-up tears as her words tumbled forth. "What is wrong with me, Castle, so wrong that I don't even know something,  _anything_  more about my partner? About the man who has saved my life more times than I care to remember? The man I have spent at least five days a week working with, under some of the most trying circumstances I can imagine, and there's just so much I don't know, and never even thought to ask..."

Unbidden, Castle's hand reached across the table and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away the single tear that rolled down her face.

"Oh, Kate, I am so sorry..." He whispered softly, his voice almost breaking as he realised just how much speaking out like this must have cost her. "I never knew that you wanted to know about any of that stuff, all you had to do was ask. There are parts of myself I am not proud of, parts of my past that I'd prefer to forget, so I guess I have shut them away somewhere, and I seem to have done such a good job of burying them that sometimes I forget they are there. I don't blame you for not knowing, for not asking, because I have gone out of my way to hide them from the world." He sipped his shake as he took her hands in his own, looking directly into her emerald eyes. "I am sorry if that has hurt you, I certainly never meant to..." He paused for a few seconds to gather his thoughts. "So, what do you want to know, detective? What skeletons on my closet do you want to unearth?"

Shocked by his brutal honesty, Beckett sat quietly for a moment, before searching his face carefully for any sign of him holding back. Seeing the walls that he had built so carefully she hadn't even known they were there come tumbling down, she glanced briefly at their joined hands, before looking him in the eyes again. "Well, let's start with something small, with what started this whole thing, this morning." She swallowed, before taking the plunge. "Why don't you ask me hold your punching bag for you when you work out, instead of slipping into the precinct at some ungodly hour and going solo?" His jaw dropped as the meaning of her words sank in.

"You came in earlier than usual this morning?"

"Yeah, I did. Actually, I came in a bit early yesterday, and was thrown for a loop when I was sure I smelt your cologne near my desk when I got in at 8am." She flushed, that little tidbit was _not_  supposed to come out.

"My cologne?"

"That road goes both ways, Castle... You have commented on my cherry shampoo, remember? If you must keep getting close enough to smell my hair, you had to have realised I could smell you too... You are not the only one that can use more than a couple of senses, you know?"

"I never..." Gulping, she took the bit between her teeth and laid it out for him.

"After three years, Castle, I can pick that scent out of a crowd, I can even tell if you have been in a room in the last ten or fifteen minutes... And don't think that you can distract me again. Answer the question, please." He bemused look on his face, he thought momentarily before taking an deep breath.

"Something small, she says... Beckett, I know you are some kind of super-detective, but that's probably the furthest from 'small' thing you could have asked me."

"Castle, I..." He cut her off with his raised finger.

"It's ok, Kate, I'll answer, you just need to let me get it all out before you start with any more questions, yeah?" She nodded, her eyes narrowing as she focused on him intently, wondering how much her partner was about to reveal.

"The reason I didn't ask you, or any of the others, to help is simply because I didn't want any questions being asked. It's something I have done for a very long time, I find it is a great way to relax and de-stress, and it helps me deal with some things that I'd rather not bring up. Before I go on, tell me exactly how much of my background you actually know, or can guess, or have read, so I have some kind of idea which gaps you want me to fill in..."

"Well, I know that your mother travelled around a lot with you when you were very young, I know that you met Kyra when you were in college, and wrote your first best seller before she graduated. You told me that she left you, and then there were more books. Sometime around then must have been about when Alexis was born, and I'm assuming that it wasn't more than a few years after that that you and Meredith divorced. You kept writing books after Alexis was born, and along came Gina, and the Derek Storm books, and once you killed him off, I brought you in for questioning..."

He smiled at her softly, running through his head where he needed to start the filling-in process. "So, I think most of what you want to know happened between Kyra leaving me, and when I met Meredith..."

"How long was that?"

"Only a couple of years, funnily enough... They just seemed so much more, I think, because of what happened. After Kyra left, I was heartbroken. I spent a month or so wallowing in self-pity, before I decided I needed a change of air, something to get my mind off the whole unhappy mess. I don't really know why, but I found myself at a recruiting booth in the city, and before I knew it, I had signed up to join the marines. I went through basic training, and when that was done, I was almost immediately posted to Bosnia with the NATO forces." He looked down at their hands, watching as his thumb drew absent-minded circles on the back of her hand. Meeting her eyes once more, he went on.

"I did two tours before I got wounded bad enough shipped back home. While I was in rehab, I spent a lot of time talking to the shrinks. As part of my therapy, they suggested I get back into writing, primarily as a way of treating my PTSD. They thought it might help me to deal with it in my own mind if I could get it down on paper. They were right, strangely enough. It helped me to forget some of the things I went through. Before I was ready to return to active duty, I had done more than enough thinking about life, the world, and my place in it. I took an honorable discharge, effective as soon as I had run out of leave, and went back to writing full-time. I met Meredith not long after that, and I pretty much shut the door on that part of my life, and then Alexis came along. Mother doesn't speak about it, because she'd rather forget that her son was sent off to war, and nearly didn't come home. Alexis doesn't know about it, because I don't have any pictures of my unit up, and I don't bring it up. I still have some photos at home, I keep them in the gun safe, just to make sure they don't get left lying around accidentally. The only other things I have that remind me about it all are the guns I keep in the safe as well, and the scar tissue that hurts when it gets too damn cold..."

He drank the remainder of his shake as he pulled his mind back to the present. "So, Beckett, that's why I slip into the gym before hours and work out... It reminds me I am alive, and clears my head. After going through basic training, I always found I thought more clearly during the day if I started with a workout. Once I started following you around, it didn't make much sense for me to be paying for a gym membership that I hardly ever used, when I could get by with the facilities at the precinct, and it meant that I'd be able to slip back out and grab us coffee while you came in and got settled... Although now that you know, I might be persuaded to take you up on your offer of holding the bag." Shaking the thoughts of his past out of his mind for the moment, he lightened his tone, saying,

"Who knows, I could even try my hand at sparring with New York's finest, if you wanted to show an old man a few moves..." He grinned cheekily at her, watching the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

She sat a moment, absorbing the information that she had coaxed out of him. She lost herself in his eyes as the extra facets of his life melded seamlessly into her knowledge of the man she knew.

"Thank you, Rick, for letting me in, for sharing..." She deliberately used his given name, feeling the shared intimacy of the moment needed something more informal than calling him by his surname. "Old man you might be, but if the way you were going at that bag is any indication, I think it'd be me doing the learning..."

"You were right, Kate." He replied, smiling at her, feeling the moment keenly as well. "I am your partner, for better or worse... After coming so close to death so many times with you, it doesn't make any sense for me to keep things like that bottled up... It's probably about time I opened up about it, after all this time anyway."

"Now that that is cleared up, you can tell me how hard you have been trying to hide the fact that you aren't a klutz, Mr Castle... I have seen you when we are bringing in a suspect, and I have to say, you do your mother's acting skills proud. I had no idea you weren't completely uncoordinated, and thought you had two left feet..." A surprised laugh escaped from Castle as the detective shot him a mock-serious glare.

"It wasn't easy at all. Pretty much most of the time, I was thinking 'think like a civilian, you are petrified, this isn't your job, be afraid, be very afraid'. The only times I slipped up were when I saw you in trouble. I couldn't keep the act up then, I couldn't let my desire to keep my past buried outweigh your safety. I gave it my all, and tried to make it look like sheer dumb luck, hoping you wouldn't notice."

Giving her a rueful smile, he glanced down at the burgers which had just been delivered to their table. "So, now you know probably the biggest skeleton in my closet, Beckett. Where does that leave us? Where do we go from here?"

Stripped of all his pretence, he bared himself to her scrutiny, hoping that she could see that he had held back nothing. She looked him in the eyes, searching his face for answers. There, she saw nothing but honesty, and hope.

"We're okay, Castle. It might take a bit of getting used to, but it does mean I don't need to worry as much about you tripping over your own feet or something while we are on a case. Could be quite refreshing, actually..." She picked up her burger, and quickly started eating. Seeing her acceptance of his explanation, Castle breathed a massive sigh of relief, and followed her lead, hungrily devouring his food. Moments later, they were done. The stood up, Castle left a twenty on the table to cover their tab, and they left Remy's, smiling.

As they closed the car doors and buckled in, Castle turned to his partner, asking, "So, are you still game for a workout tomorrow morning?" Starting the car and pulling out into traffic, Beckett grinned back at him.

"Oh, I think that can be arranged, Captain America."

"Corporal, actually, and I went in under my birth surname. In addition to being shadowed by a famous author, detective, you are partnered with one ex-Corporal Rogers, USMC."


	2. Playing with your food

**7:00am, 12** **th** **Precinct Gym**

The two of them had started out with a light workout and some stretching, followed by ten minutes with the focus mitts, and another half hour with the kick-bag. Finally, they had shifted into sparring, and Castle had pushed her hard for close to quarter of an hour. Breathing heavily, Beckett snapped a low kick and retreated several paces, her guard up, muscles burning with fatigue. A predatory grin on his face, Castle closed the distance rapidly, his torso covered in a light sheen of sweat. Two quick jabs to her head, followed by a low sweep, and the detective was falling before she realized the first two techniques were only intended to draw her guard. Lightning quick, Castle struck as she fell, his right arm slipping easily around her left as she lost her balance. Pivoting, he turned her fall into a controlled take-down, snapping an arm bar into place as she hit the mat. Knowing he had her, Beckett quickly tapped out. Keeping hold of her wrist, the former Marine pulled her upright. His heart rate up, and the adrenaline flowing, he tugged a little too energetically, and she stumbled as she gained her feet, falling forwards. Instinctively, her hand came up to brace herself, slapping firmly into his well-muscled chest. His heart thrumming under her hand, she felt the movement of the muscles in his chest as he breathed deeply from the exertion. Frozen for an instant, they looked into each others eyes, feeling the slow pull as the distance closed between them. Both breathing hard, they were snapped out of their private moment by the sounds of Esposito and Ryan heading towards the change rooms.

Quickly, Castle slipped a baggy tee shirt on and donned his sweat pants, not ready to face the inevitable questions from the other detectives just yet.

Beckett grinned at him, still pumped from the sparring, and their almost kiss. She was exhausted and sore in places she had forgotten she still had, but at the same time, her body vibrated with energy. Allowing her eyes to glide over her partners' form as he rapidly hid his physique from view, Beckett bit her lip and had to restrain herself from commenting.

The doors banged open, and in walked the other detectives, followed seconds later by none other than Tom Demming, who looed surprised to say the least at the sight of a sweaty Beckett and the author.

"Hey, Castle!" Esposito quipped. "Beckett finally drag you down here to beat up on you, eh?"

"Something like that..." Castle replied. "She said something about needing to work off some stress, and figured I could hold the bag for her. I might even learn something one day, she tells me." He tossed the quip off, a glint in his eye.

"So should we be worried, Writer Boy?" Ryan chipped in, a teasing grin on his face.

"Oh, I don't think you have much to worry about, guys." Demming interrupted, giving Castle a very pointed look. Beckett frowned as she saw her ex being unpleasant for no good reason. Tucking some loose hair behind her ear, she decided to have a little bit of fun.

"Oh, I don't know, Tom..." She drawled, an innocent look on her face as she started slipping off her gloves, walking over to the trio. "He's a quick study, you might be surprised."

"Hah! You really think so, Kate? I think he doesn't want to damage his hands, myself." Demming took the bait, looking confident. "You think your star pupil is ready to learn a bit more?"

Castle looked at Kate, and back to Demming. Seeing the mischievous gleam in Beckett's eyes, he decided to play along. "Well, it'd be a shame not to see if any of that stuff you taught me actually works..." He tried to look hesitant as he glanced at Beckett again and went on. "I'm assuming he's about as good as you are?"

"We're pretty evenly matched, if that's what you are after, Castle." She relied, fighting to keep her expression neutral. Esposito and Ryan looked at each other, then over to Castle and Demming, and back to Beckett. Grinning, they thought perhaps a little wager might be in order.

"Twenty says Castle lasts two minutes." Esposito offered. Rolling her eyes, Beckett replied.

"Since you boys seem so confident, how about dinner at Remy's? My shout if Castle taps out in under ten minutes. You buy forus both if he lasts the distance..." A quick glance and the others jumped in.

"Deal."

"Ok Castle, looks like you are going to have to earn your dinner." Beckett gave him a saucy grin. Looking somewhat put out by the confidence Beckett was showing in her partner, Demming shook it off and made his way to the centre of the mats and took up a guard position. Cautiously, Castle met him there, fists raised, looking nervous. His watch at the ready, Esposito hit the start button, and signalled for the fight to commence.

Confidently, Demming threw a quick punch to his opponent's face. Castle left his block until the last possible moment, letting the fist just grazing his jaw. A little put out, Tom threw another couple of quick jabs, followed by a punishing uppercut to Castle's stomach. Seeing the punch coming, Rick hunched just as the blow connected, absorbing the hit and pulling back. To the others, it would look like he had just taken a very nasty hit. To him, he could barely feel it. The fight went on like that for some time: Demming trying harder and harder to hurt him, the blows just never seeming to connect, Castle always just stumbling, or flinching at just the wrong moment. Ryan and Esposito started off looking rather confident, but their faces slowly fell as it became apparent that Castle wasn't going to back down any time soon, and the robbery detective had yet to land a telling hit. Peeking over Esposito's shoulder, Beckett saw that the allotted time had passed, and spoke up.

"Ok, Castle, stop playing with your food. We have work to do."

Demming faltered as the worried, confused look fell off Castle's face, to be replaced with a predatory grin. Ryan and Esposito looked at Beckett, startled, and then back to Castle, who had begun raining blows onto Demming.

Never quite fast enough with his defences, the detective pushed himself harder, but it was useless. Every move he made, Castle was there first, punching and kicking. Demming's face registered nothing but pure shock as Castle seemed to switch into another gear entirely. Two jabs caught Tom in the face, a ripping uppercut doubled him over and before the air finished rushing out of his lungs, Castle had pivoted into a perfect reverse roundhouse kick. Instead of connecting with Demming's jaw, Castle shifted his balance slightly and slipped his heel in behind Demming's head, the momentum slamming his opponent face-first into the mat. A split second later, Castle had his knees firmly into the back of Demming's shoulders, and one arm in a joint-lock. Unable to focus, unsure what the hell had just happened, Tom tapped out.

Castle stood up, and used his grip on Demming's arm to help him upright. Grinning cheerfully, he clapped his dazed opponent on the shoulder as he helped him towards the bench, his voice dripping with false sincerity.

"Thanks for that Tom, I learnt a lot. Maybe we could do it again sometime?" Their own exercise totally forgotten, Ryan could do nothing but gape at the author, who didn't appear to even be winded. Esposito, however, ran his eyes over Castle, assessing. The Hispanic detective had learnt to fight like that years ago, back when he was in the military, and he sure as hell hadn't expected to see that level of combat experience from anybody else in the 12th precinct, let alone Castle of all people.

"Yo, Castle!" He spoke up, wanting to get in before they all headed out of the gym. "Where the hell did you learn those moves?"

"Just a little something I picked up in my reckless and stupid phase…" Downplaying the incident, Castle tried to shrug it off, but Esposito wasn't letting go that easily.

"You look like you've only just gotten warmed up man… feel like another couple of quick rounds? I think I can manage a bit more of a challenge than Demming…" Castle looked over to Kate, silently asking if they had the time to do this before they were all supposed to start work. She gave a small nod, wondering herself just who would come out on top.

"Ok, Esposito, I'm game if you are. Three two minute rounds?"

"Bring it on, Writer Boy!" He gave a chuckle as he dropped his gear bag next to the still dazed Demming and walked over to the centre of the mats. Castle glanced over to Esposito, and decided that he had better take this much more seriously than his drubbing of the hapless robbery detective. Quickly, he peeled off the concealing sweats and shirt, leaving only his gloves and bike shorts in place. Beckett forced herself to draw her eyes away from Castle's physique to watch the reactions of the other detectives. She was not disappointed, as both their faces went slack in astonishment, neither of them having suspected that the laid-back author was concealing such a chiselled body under his designer suits.

Castle casually walked over and faced off against Esposito, who now looked a lot less confident, his eyes doing another quick assessment, still trying to adjust to the new information.

"Ready?" Called Beckett, her finger on the stopwatch. "Go!"

They started off cautiously, each probing, testing, feeling for gaps in defences. The tempo picked up gradually, as they started to push harder and faster, trying to find a gap. Elbows and knees flew as they closed the distance. Castle over extended a punch just slightly, and Esposito latched onto his arm, slipping underneath and going for a reverse lock. Realising what was about to happen, Castle reacted, turning into the movement, spinning in place so that he was chest to chest with Esposito. Hooking his right leg behind , Castle shifted his weight forward, forcing Esposito backwards, tripping him. Keeping his forward momentum, Castle allowed himself to fall forward, bringing both his knees up, landing straddling his opponent's stomach, striking downwards as they fell.

They both paused for a second as Castle's open hand halted, just touching Esposito's throat. They both gave a small nod, acknowledging the point, and Castle stood, helping Esposito up. Shaping up again, they went at each other once more.

"Time!" Beckett yelled, halting the bout. They had not actually stopped between rounds, going a full six minutes, but the sparring partners knew it had only worked out that way because after each tap-out or acknowledged point, they had paused and reset.

Both were panting heavily, sweat running freely as they grinned at each other. Esposito extended his hand and grasped Castle's, before pulling him in for a brief man-hug.

"Bro, If I had known you do that, we'd have started doing this years ago! I can't remember how long it's been since I've been able to cut loose like that." The Latino detective puffed, his throat raw from the effort.

"Well, now the cat's out of the bag, I might just take you up on that. I haven't had to work that hard for a point in ages..." The writer replied, his own breathing laboured.

"So, you gonna fess up where you learned to fight like that?" Castle flashed a cheeky grin, and replied, raking his fingers through his sweat-damp hair.

"Would you believe research for a book...?" He raised his eyebrows, trying on his best innocent face.

"Not bloody likely!" Came the swift rejoinder.

"Then let's just call it an advantage of a misspent youth, shall we? I think we'd better hit the showers." He glanced over to a smirking and obviously impressed Beckett. "I think your boss is going to want you guys hard at work shortly, and the sooner I'm done, the sooner she gets her coffee..."

He grabbed his bag and headed for the showers, tossing a knowing smirk at the bench still occupied by Demming. As the door closed behind Castle, the others picked up their gear and followed Castle out. As they left the gym, Ryan turned to Beckett, saying,

"Ok, Beckett, what gives? Since when does Castle beat Esposito in a sparring match, and when the hell did you find out about him?"

"Ryan, that man has more layers than just about anybody else I know. I only found out yesterday, and couldn't resist the temptation of suckering you guys into betting on it. Speaking of which, does Thursday night work for you guys at Remy's?" Smirking, she left them at the door to their shower, and went to scrub down.

* * *

 

**8:50am, 12** **th** **Precinct.**

Castle strolled back into the bullpen coffee and bear-claw in hand, but before he could sit, Beckett stood up.

"I'll eat on the way, Castle, we've got a body. Ryan and Esposito are on their way already, I was just about to call you."

"No worries. Any idea what we have on the body yet?" He held her coffee out to her as they walked to the elevator. Taking a big drink from the cup, she gave a happy sigh as the hot drink settled her.

"Not much so far. All we know so far is that it's female, and messy. Should only be fifteen minutes to the scene though." Having no further information relevant to the case, she leaned up against the back wall of the elevator, silent for a few seconds before saying "Oh, I think I really should apologise about before too… I really enjoyed our workout, I guess I wasn't thinking when the others walked in, and it didn't even occur to me that you might not have been ready to share your… skills with them…" She looked down slightly, embarrassed that she had pretty much forced the issue into the open. A serious look settled onto Castle's face as he considered his reply.

"Hey…" He waited until she raised her eyes and looked him in the face. "It's ok… I told you it was probably time I started dealing with it all, and it wasn't exactly unpleasant…" He smirked, remembering the feeling of slamming Demming into the mats. "It was a lot of fun, actually…"

Seeing the amusement sparkling in his eyes, Beckett couldn't keep the silly grin from creeping into her own features.

"Well, at least we got dinner out of it." She said, teasingly.

"That we did, Detective… Mind you, you have no idea how hard it was to drag it out that long with DemmingYou think he'd be game for a rematch at some point?" He chuckled. Still a little surprised by how quickly Castle had taken down his opponent when he started actually trying, Beckett realised just how much he had been holding back when he was sparring with her. Never giving enough to let her win, he had made her work for it the whole time, never giving her an inch. Recalling the second match, and how he and Esposito had fought, she knew he certainly hadn't been pushing himself sparring her. She thought back to the night he had thrown the poker match to save her from being embarrassed, pleased that he remembered not to let her win just to save her feelings.

"Castle?" She paused, feeling slightly foolish and vulnerable for no real reason that she could name, but pushing ahead regardless. "Thanks…"

"For what?" He replied, a little confused.

"For not letting me win. I was serious when I told you Demming was as good as I am, and you took him apart without even thinking about it. I guess what I am trying to say is… I know you could easily have wiped the mats with me, and I know you were tempted to go easy on me, to let me win like you did at poker the first time… I just… thank you for showing me the respect of making me work for it." She blushed slightly, still trying to put into words how much she appreciated it.

"Kate," He replied softly. "I made the mistake of patronising you once. I wouldn't do that to you again. You are good, and with practice, you can be even better. You won't learn anything if I let you win, and you'd probably learn even less if I went all out, so I keep myself just a little better than wherever you are with your skills, because that's the best way to teach. If you want to learn, I will teach you everything I can, and hope to hell you never have to use it." His eyes sparkling, he went on. "And besides, if you keep betting on me winning against Demming, we're going to need to work off an awful lot of dinners…" They made their way to the car and headed out to the murder scene, both feeling more relaxed than they had all day.

* * *

**9:00am, Murder Scene.**

Pulling up near the crime scene tape, they got out of the car and made their way towards the body. Passing a trash can, Beckett drained the dregs of her coffee and dumped it before they ducked under the tape.

"What can you tell me, Lanie?" She asked, addressing the ME who was crouching next to the body, mostly hidden by the dumpster in the narrow alley. Standing up, Lanie replied.

"Caucasian female, early to mid-teens, no ID as yet. I'd say preliminary cause of death would be repeated blunt force trauma to the head." She indicated the bruising evident on the girl's hands, and then rolled the body over and stepped back. Beckett heard the gasp from her partner as he saw the mangled ruin that was all that remained of the poor girl's face. Lanie continued. "From the shape of the contusions, I'm guessing something like a tyre iron, or small crowbar. Poor girl tried to defend herself, but all she got for her trouble was a pair of broken arms. From the bruises on the rest of her body, I'm betting she sustained most of them pre-mortem. Somebody worked her over good, looks like both arms, most of her ribs, and at least one leg were broken, but it was the blows to the head that finished her off."

A little taken aback at the brutality of it, Beckett shoved her emotions to one side, operating on auto-pilot.

"Can you give me a time of death?"

"Based on lividity, ball-park time is 9pm to midnight last night, I'll be able to narrow it down once I get her back to the lab."

"Thanks, Lanie. Anything else you can give me?"

"Yeah, actually... Whoever did this... it wasn't their first time. The regularity of the bruises - they are evenly spaced, and appear to have the same amount of force used on each. This was done methodically, not in a rage."

"Dear lord..." Castle breathed, finally taking in all the damage. As Lanie's words sank in, he continued. "Is it worth running the autopsy report through the other jurisdictions when you are done? If it's not the first time, he might have done work out of town..." He swallowed again as he looked between Beckett and Lanie.

"I'll send it off as soon as I am done." Lanie turned and headed away from the crime scene, leaving Beckett and Castle to do their job.

Beckett looked at Castle, seeing his discomfort. Placing her hand on his shoulder briefly, she squeezed once and let go, silently offering him her understanding and support, before saying "Come on, Castle. Let's go give Ryan and Esposito a hand with canvassing for any witnesses."

* * *

**10:15am, Beckett's Police Cruiser, en route to the 12** **th** **Precinct.**

Hanging up her cell phone, Beckett glanced over to her partner, who had spent the drive so far in withdrawn silence.

"Hey, Castle." She said, trying to bring him back to earth gently. "Ryan just called, they found the girl's bag in a trash can a few blocks away, we have an ID. They have contacted the next of kin. The father should be at the precinct by the time we get there. Will you be right to sit in for it?" Castle blinked rapidly, dragging himself back to the conversation at hand.

"Yeah, I should be fine, Beckett. Thanks though. This one just gets to me, you know?"

"I know... I can only imagine what it must be like for you."

"You know, this is one of those times that having such an active imagination isn't a good thing." He ran his hands through his hair, and made an effort to clear it from his mind, at least for the moment. "So, what was her name? Is there any reason the father was able to be in so quickly? I mean, not that I wouldn't get down there as fast as I could if something happened to Alexis, but for him to be there before we get back is a little... odd, don't you think?"

"Her name was Melissa Johnson, and she was only 13..." She paused for a few seconds. "It is a little strange, but not the first time it's happened to me, Castle. Sometimes it's nothing more than they happened to be down town for some reason when the call came through. We're more likely to do house-calls if we get the ID after hours, the daytime ones, it just depends, I guess."

"God, only 13? What the hell did she do to deserve that?"

"That's what we have to find out, and who did it to her, Castle, so he can't do it again."

Silence fell in the car, and neither of them felt like breaking it for the rest of the trip back to the precinct.

* * *

**10:30am, 12** **th** **Precinct**

Beckett and Castle left the elevator, their mood still sombre. Esposito saw the pair, and wordlessly indicated a man standing next to the visitor's chairs, his hands clasped behind his back. Without breaking stride, they headed over. Hearing the sound of the detective's heels on the floor, the man turned to face them. He glanced at Beckett for a second, noting the badge on her belt, before he looked at Castle. A slight frown creased his forehead as he took in the author, and before Beckett could introduce herself, he clicked his heels together and saluted, an amused grin on his face. Momentarily thrown, Beckett paused, and was about to introduce herself when she realised that the man at attention in front of her was not looking at her, but instead had his gaze focused over her shoulder, on Castle.

Holding the salute for a split second, he stepped forward, offering his hand to the author, saying,

"Alex Rodgers! When the hell did you become a cop?" Stunned for a second, Castle scanned the face in front of him before recognition kicked in.

"Tommy? How long has it been?" He grasped the offered hand and grasped it, before pulling the other man in for a brief slap on the back. Returning the gesture, the man stepped back and looked him over.

"It's been nearly twenty years since you were shipped State-side, Corporal. When we heard you took a discharge after rehab, I never thought you'd wear a uniform ever again..." Castle grinned at him, oblivious to Ryan and Esposito, who were walking past, files in hand. Hearing the other man address Castle by rank, and by another name entirely they halted, stunned.

"I'm not. I'm consulting with the NYPD." Castle replied. "Damn, where are my manners...?" He gestured to Beckett. "Tommy, this is my partner, Detective Kate Beckett. Beckett, this is Lance Corporal Thomas Johnson..." He trailed off, as the surname of the victim hit him, and he remembered Esposito's earlier silent gesture towards Tommy. Johnson reached out and shook Beckett's hand briefly.

"Actually, ma'am, it's Sergeant Johnson now, although Rodgers here wouldn't have known that, since I only got the extra stripes after he left." He said. "Any chance you can explain why I was called down here?" A little disconcerted by the casual way he referred to Castle as 'Rodgers', she gestured for him to sit down.

"Sergeant, there is no easy way to break this to you, but it's about your daughter..."

 


	3. When the past comes knocking

**12:30pm, 12th Precinct Break Room**

Castle sat on the couch, nursing his coffee. Next to him, Beckett waited silently. The air between held an uncomfortable edge. He was still digesting the fact that one of his unit members had just re-entered his life, only to find that their latest case was his friend's daughter, and there was nothing Kate could do to ease the pain he felt. He knew they would do their utmost to find the person responsible, and she knew that until that happened, Castle was not likely to start dealing with the emotions it brought up.

He sighed and drained the dregs of his drink. He placed his empty cup on the table and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Where are we on the background checks for Melissa?" Shoving the emotions into a box inside himself, he closed the lid. All business, he faced the case full-on.  _Huh,_ He thought briefly,  _I wonder if this is how Kate feels when she goes all business-like suddenly?_

A small frown creased Beckett's forehead as she saw the hurt and frustration slide from her partner's face, replaced by determination and focus. She had never seen Castle so effectively isolate himself from a situation. Mind back on the case, she replied.

"Ryan got back with phone records, so far nothing out of the ordinary. Esposito is still running financials, but it looks clean for the moment."

"Any luck with witnesses?"

"Not so far. The area didn't have any traffic or security cameras, and we only have a few witnesses who admit to seeing anything."

"So we have nothing solid so far then?" Beckett stood up, an apologetic look on her face. Her mind on the case, she absently held her hands out as she stood in front of Castle. Taking her hands in his own, he stood as well, their eyes locked. Seeing the hurt in the ocean blue of his eyes, Kate gave his hands a reassuring squeeze, saying,

"We'll get him, Castle, whatever it takes." He gave her a half-grin in reply; some of the tension draining out of him. Beckett was the best the NYPD had, and Castle knew that when she gave her word you could take it to the bank.

"Hey, Beckett..." Ryan entered the break room, a file in his hand. He stopped, looking up at the duo, holding hands and standing a lot closer than he would have expected. His gaze flicking between the two of them, a teasing smirk settled across his lips as he asked "Am I interrupting something here?"

His comment greeted by an eye-roll, Beckett replied, deflecting his question.

"What have you got, Ryan?"

"From the phone records? A whole lot of nothing unusual for a thirteen year-old girl. Calls and texts from her friends, no boyfriend to speak of. The rest of the household is the same. We did log one incoming call two days before from an unknown number, but tech traced it to a payphone on the upper east side. Phone logs show it was only a few second's duration, around midday."

There was a silence as they thought. Castle spoke up, an idea churning in his head.

"Where is the nearest phonebook, guys?" Puzzled, Beckett replied.

"There should be one in the bottom drawer of my desk... why?"

"Just a hunch. I don't want to share with the class just yet..." He headed for Beckett's desk, calling over his shoulder as he left the break room. "Ryan, can you get tech to pull a list of the previous half-dozen numbers phone numbers dialled from that payphone?"

"I'm on it." Ryan responded, heading for his own desk.

Beckett not far behind, Castle pulled out the phone book from the drawer and sat down. Quickly leafing through the pages, he ran his finger down the list of names until he found the one he recognised: Johnson, T M & M J and the phone number matched the one Esposito had dialled to contact Melissa's next of kin. Marking his place with a finger, he glanced up as Ryan walked over, looking at his notepad.

"Tech pulled the numbers for us." He said, sliding the notebook across the desk. Castle spun it around and compared the numbers in the notebook to the numbers above the Johnson's in the phonebook. A triumphant grin on his face, he looked up at Beckett and Ryan.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner..." Still seeing confused looks on their faces, Castle explained. "Who calls a house in the middle of the day from a payphone? Somebody without a cell phone. It can't have been any of Melissa's friends, because they all have cell phones, and were in school at the time anyway. It can't have been Tommy, he's got a solid alibi across town. Middle of a Monday, when nobody is home, why call for a few seconds and hang up...? The call must have been from the murderer."

"Castle, what are you getting at?" Beckett asked, still not understanding. She knew he was probably onto something, but needed something solid to go on.

"Beckett, he called seven numbers, one after the other, each call lasting less than ten seconds, in the order they were listed in the phone book. He was hunting for Johnsons... those  _particular_  Johnsons." Illustrating his point, he pulled out his cell phone and dialled Tommy's number. The phone rang twice, and was picked up by the answering machine.

"Hi, you have reached Thomas and Mary Johnson. We can't..." Castle hung up.

"He had a surname, and a general area. He called the numbers when he knew nobody would be home, and confirmed the identity by the message on the answering machine. He had Melissa's home address two days before he killed her. This wasn't a random attack..."

They shared a look for a second. Beckett snapped her fingers, and turned to address Ryan.

"Can we pull any cameras that covered that payphone?"

"On it, boss!" Ryan quickly headed back to his desk to begin chasing down the footage. Beckett turned back to face her partner and threw him a grin.

"Nice catch, Castle." Standing up, they made their way over to the murder board and updated it with the latest information. "If it wasn't random, we need some kind of idea what the hell the motive was..."

* * *

**7:30am Thursday, 12** **th** **Precinct Gym**

Castle stepped forward, parrying Beckett's punch. He hooked his foot behind her ankle and shoved. Surprised, she over balanced but managed to pivot mid-air and turned her backward fall into a dive roll, coming back up onto her feet and spinning around to face him once more. Flashing her a quick smile, he stepped back, allowing them to take a break.

"You're improving, Kate." He complimented her. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Beckett sucked down a couple of quick breaths before replying, an amused smile crossing her lips briefly.

"If I was, Castle, you wouldn't have been able to pull off such a cheap move." He shook his head at her.

"It wasn't that I managed to trip you, Beckett... I tried the same move on you yesterday, and you fell flat on your backside. Today, you didn't." Realising he had a point, she retuned his grin. Still out of breath, she asked,

"How about we break from sparring for a bit?"

"Sure... Did you want to run over some disarms?" A little puzzled, she nodded. Seeing her look, he explained. "The police teach you how to subdue your suspect using your gun, baton, and some unarmed stuff. I was thinking you could do with learning a few things that are more aimed at keeping you alive, instead of bringing a suspect in intact." The serious tone in his voice caused her to frown slightly. Understanding where he was coming from, she neatened the loose strands of her hair into her ponytail and moved to the centre of the mats once more. Walking up to her, Castle instructed her to hold her arms out as if she had a pistol pointed at him.

From a few feet away, he raised his hands as if in surrender.

"This is primarily designed to get you out of the line of fire. Assuming you get that far, you can control their weapon and use it to control the situation." Moving slowly enough for her to observe, he brought his hands down, circling, as he moved forward and to the side. His right hand cupping her right hand, his body next to her right shoulder, he brought his left fore-arm down into her elbow joint and forced his right hand forward, collapsing her arm. As her arm folded, he stepped behind her, his left arm snaking under hers and cupping the back of her head in a half-nelson as their joined right hands moved to under her chin.

Trying hard to ignore the scent of her hair in his face and the feeling of his body wrapped around hers, he explained.

"The pressure from the left arm immobilises your attacker, the left hand controls their head position so they can't head-butt you, and your right hand should now have a finger on the trigger of their weapon. Unless they are significantly bigger than you, you should be able to control the muzzle so that if you need to, you can fire it at point blank and not have to worry about the bullet hitting you if it exits. Messy, but better than being on the wrong end of it…" Stepping back, he used their still-joined hands to turn her around to face him once more. "You want to give it a try?" She nodded, thankful that their recent exertions still had her face flushed, hiding the blush that was rapidly covering her cheeks. She tried to remember exactly what he had been saying, but concentration had been… difficult.

Castle raised his hands, holding an imaginary pistol as Beckett repeated the move he had just shown her. Without her heels on, Beckett noticed the height difference between them more, finding it difficult to apply the half-nelson. Sensing her problem, Castle disengaged and thought for a second.

"Try kicking the back of the right knee after you hit the elbow, before you move behind…" Nodding, she did as instructed. The buckling of his knee dropping him, she had all the height advantage she needed to execute the move, finishing with her standing behind him with him on his knees. Her breath tickling his right ear, she asked

"How was that?" Castle swallowed, keenly aware that Kate's lips hovered mere inches from his neck.

"That was… good." A sneaky smile flitting over his face, he teased her. "Although, having me on my knees does give me one advantage…" Still holding him pinned by her arms, she could feel each breath he took. Impulsively, she lowered her lips to just brush his neck, right below his ear. Her voice lowering, she whispered

"Oh, I think I have you just where I want you…" She felt his weight shift, and he pivoted, spinning her around his torso as he hip-tossed her onto her back on the mats in front of him. Keeping his momentum up, he straddled her, pinning her wrists to the floor above her head. Noses almost touching, Castle noted her sharp intake of breath, the way she arched her back slightly, her arms testing the strength of his grip before relaxing, her eyes wide.

"I could say the same thing, detective…" His weight pressing her into the mats, his voice sent a shiver of longing through her as she saw his eyes dart from her own to trace her lips, and back to meet her own heated gaze. Slowly, he lowered his head, brushing his lips faintly across hers once, twice. Seeing her eyelids flutter half-closed, he deepened the kiss, surprised when she slipped her hands free from his grip, and wove her fingers through his hair, holding him in place as she opened her mouth, her tongue dancing with his.

When their need for oxygen broke them apart, panting, he pulled back. The sounds of people talking loudly in the hall outside intruded on his befuddled brain. Realising they had been making out like a pair of teenagers where anybody could have seen them if they had entered, Castle quickly rolled off Beckett, offering her a hand up. Standing up, she looked down shyly for a second before smiling at her partner.

"We'd better hit the showers before somebody comes in…" She said, her eyes sparkling, the warm, electric buzz from the kiss still flowing through their linked hands. Closing the distance between them, she pulled him into another searing kiss before breaking away and grabbed her gear bag. Glancing back at him over her shoulder, saying "I think we could both do with a cold shower before Ryan and Esposito get in…" A knowing grin on his face, Castle grabbed his gear as well, openly eyeing her figure.

"Cold shower. Yep, definitely going to need a cold shower." He held the door open for her, and they parted ways, both trying hard to keep the smiles off their faces.

* * *

 

**8:30am Thursday, 12th Precinct.**

Castle sat down in his chair, handing Beckett her coffee and food with a cheerful grin. Behind him, Ryan and Esposito stood up and made their way over. Reaching across the desk, Kate allowed her fingers to graze her partner's as she grabbed her coffee, a small, private smile flashing between them.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, they both took a sip of their drinks, their faces wiped clean of anything untoward by the time they both turned to face the pair of detectives.

"Hey guys," Beckett addressed them, pulling her bear-claw from it's paper bag. "Do we have anything more yet?" She took a bite of her food, and leaned back in her chair.

"Yeah," Esposito replied. "We got a couple of stills from a camera covering the payphone..." He placed a folder on Beckett's desk and opened it. Inside were two black and white images. Not brilliant quality, the first showed a thin, older man dressed in nondescript clothes, wearing a baseball cap. The second picture was a close-up of the man's face: a thin beard, he looked to be in his fifties, his cheeks hollow. Deep-set eyes and a narrow chin seemed to fit the rest of his face, a brooding, intense expression which dominated the page. Unable to tear his gaze off the photo, something about the almost haunted face seemed... familiar. His mind whirling, Castle couldn't for the life of him remember where he'd seen it before. Looking at Beckett and Castle, Ryan spoke.

"From the video footage, it looks as though our suspect may have been seriously injured at some point. It's not exactly obvious, but when you see him walking, he favors his right leg, looks like he got banged up pretty good at some point." Taking another long drink of her coffee, Beckett smiled at them.

"Thanks, guys. It's not a lot, but it's more than we had before." She picked the picture up in her right hand, her left grabbing the remainder of her coffee as they walked over to the murder board. Clipping the picture in the 'suspect' column, she leaned back against the table. Transferring her coffee to her right hand, she wrapped her left arm across her stomach, her right elbow resting on her left fist as she sipped her coffee, absently biting her lip as her thoughts swirled. An idea sparking in her mind, she addressed Esposito.

"What kind of camera coverage do we have in the area around the payphone? Can we track where he went after making the last call?" Esposito opened his notebook, quickly flipping through the last few pages of his meticulous notes.

"We have a couple of cameras, but none of them caught anything more on him. He got into a late-model sedan on 75th. We ran the plates, and it popped. Stolen on the weekend. Here's the thing though..." He paused, a grim expression on his face. When he saw he had their undivided attention, he continued. "The car that was reported stolen turned up in the Bronx the day later, on fire. The incident report said that the plates recovered didn't match the vehicle, they had to match it by the VIN."

Glancing between Beckett and Esposito, Castle spoke up. "So... what did the plates match?" There were several seconds silence before Esposito replied.

"They matched a near-identical car, same make and model. Registered to a guy who is ninety years old, and in a retirement home. We managed to get hold of him, but he thinks he lent the car to his grandson son a couple of weeks back, who isn't answering his phone. His parent's haven't seen him for a week or so, but that's not out of character for him, so they didn't report it. They just assumed he was off doing God knows what with his friends."

Beckett cursed under her breath. Placing her empty cup on the table, she pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a sigh.

"Whoever this guy is, he's gone to an awful lot of effort to cover his tracks. We  _need_  that motive, otherwise we're dead in the water." Frustration evident in her voice, she gave Castle an apologetic look. His jaw tight, Castle caught her look and gave a slight nod, understanding that she wouldn't give up, they just needed a fresh lead. Shaking her head, Beckett looked up once more.

"Okay, get an APB out on the car, for whatever good it'll do. Circulate the photo of the suspect to the uniforms as a person of interest, and we'll just have to sit tight and hope like hell we catch a break."

* * *

**4:30pm Thursday, 12** **th** **Precinct**

Castle slipped his phone into his pocket and stood up. Across the room, Ryan and Esposito were still head-down, triple-checking phone records and financials , making sure they hadn't left any stone unturned. His sudden movement startling her, Beckett looked at her partner. A tired expression on his face, Castle spoke.

"Hey, Beckett... I'm gonna head home for a bit, there's a few things I need to talk to Alexis about, I think." Seeing her puzzled expression, he went on. "I don't want to go into the case too much with her, but I think it's about time her old man shared a skeleton or two. She's old enough to understand now, and the last thing I'd want is for her to find out about it from somebody else, given recent events." Nodding, she stood. Not wanting risk anything too public, she squeezed his shoulder briefly, knowing he would draw some comfort from the gesture, and asked,

"Do you think you'll still be right to make it to Remy's for dinner? Wouldn't be fair to make the boys pay up if you weren't there to share in the winnings..." A smile working its way across his lips, her replied.

"I should be able to make it any time after seven. Mother had an audition today, which means she'll be home for dinner. Text me when you nail them down for a time?"

"Of course." She replied. Flicking her a grateful smile, he headed towards the elevator, waving goodbye to the others on his way out.

* * *

**6:15pm Thursday, The Loft.**

Castle sat on the couch, half a glass of scotch in one hand, a faded photo in the other. Eyes focused on the past, he looked over the faces, lost in the memories of another time, another place. Through the fog of recollection, he heard the lock on the front door open.

Alexis pushed the door closed behind her and walked over to the kitchen bench, placing her handbag next to the fruit bowl. Turning, she saw the back of her fathers' head poking over the back of the couch. Surprised to find him home at such an early hour when there was an active case on, she called out to him as she walked to the lounge.

"Hey dad..." She sat down next to him. "You're home early today. Something wrong?" She noted the glass in his hand and frowned slightly. Something was definitely up. He usually had a glass of wine or a beer with dinner, but never spirits this early. Placing the glass on the table next to him, Castle looked at his daughter. She saw the hesitancy on his face, written as plainly as any of his books. Searching his eyes, Alexis saw traces of sadness and pain, buried, but still there.

"Dad? What's wrong?" He let out a sigh. Giving his daughter a hint of a smile, he responded.

"The case is getting to me a bit, Pumpkin. We found out the girl that was killed was the daughter of an old friend of mine. I haven't seen him for twenty years, and the first time we meet, it's to tell him his little girl isn't coming home."

"Oh, dad..." Alexis shifted over on the couch and wrapped her arms around her father. "I'm so sorry." Castle held her for several minutes in silence. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he spoke softly.

"I didn't even know he had a kid." Releasing him, Alexis sat back and looked at him, concern still evident on her face.

"How come you two didn't talk? Did something happen?" A wry chuckle escaping his lips, Castle replied.

"You could say that..." He held out the photo to her. Pointing to a much-younger Tommy, he said "That's him. Lance Corporal Tommy Johnson." Taking the photo from his hands, Alexis looked at it intently.

"Dad, this is a unit photo. Where did you get it? I haven't seen it before..."

"Yes it is. I got it the same way Tommy got a copy." He reached over the top of the picture and indicated his own face in the group. "Boyishly handsome back then, hadn't grown into rugged yet..."

Alexis looked at the face in the photo, and back to her father. She had seen enough pictures of him to clearly see it was definitely him, she had just missed it in the unfamiliar setting of fatigues. "Why didn't you..." He cut her off gently.

"It was something I did when I needed... a change in my life. I nearly didn't make it back alive, so your grandmother doesn't talk about it. I got better, took an honorable discharge. I started writing again, and then your mother came along, then you. I put it behind me, because I had you to look forward to." His words hung in the air for several seconds as Alexis absorbed what he had told her, and felt her way around what he hadn't. Shifting tack slightly, she asked

"What do you mean, 'started writing again', dad, I thought you never stopped..." A sigh passed his lips as he reached for the glass again. Swallowing a mouthful, feeling the burn as it worked its way down, he answered.

"Do you remember Kyra Blaine?" Recalling the case of the murdered bridesmaid, Alexis nodded, and then remembered that the bride-to-be had been her father's girlfriend in college, and that he had dedicated at least one book to her. Seeing the knowledge in his daughter's eyes, the author went on. "After she left... I was in a very dark place. Everything I saw, everywhere I went... I could see her. I couldn't write, because every time I tried, all I could think about was her. I needed to get away, but I knew that if I just went, all I'd be able to do was think about her, so I signed up, figuring I would be to busy to mope and get depressed."

He finished the last of his drink, before continuing. "I got hurt while I was deployed, and they sent me back home. I got better, and the psychologist suggested I try writing again as part of my therapy. It worked. There were a lot of things I had seen and done while I was over there, and being able to write allowed me to get it all out. I was so focused on that, I managed to barely think about Kyra at all until her bridesmaid was killed." Wrapping his arm around his daughter, Rick laid his cheek on her head, resting comfortably for a while in silence.

Turning her head, Alexis looked at him, eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Dad, is that why you used to have those nightmares when I was little?" Surprised that she remembered, he nodded.

"I didn't want to wake you, Pumpkin, but yeah... Sometimes I'd remember... things that I have tried hard to forget. I never told you about any of it, because I didn't want you to worry. You didn't need that, not then. Not now either... but a very wise woman I know convinced me that it was probably time to talk about it." A knowing smile making its way across her lips, Alexis asked nonchalantly,

"When did Detective Beckett tell you that?" His mind still on his past, he answered without thinking.

"Tuesd... I never said it was Kate!" Surprised he sent a mock-glare at his child, who regarded his with wide-eyed innocence.

"You did, just now!" Frowning in good humor, he quipped back,

"And you, missy, have been spending too much time paying attention to Beckett's interrogation techniques." The response he got was a trade-mark A-grade Beckett eye-roll. Chuckling, he asked "Did Mother happen to mention what time she'd be home tonight?" Curiosity piqued, Alexis answered him with a question.

"Do you have somewhere to be?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely... yes." A smug look on his face, he didn't elaborate further.

"Oh! Like that is it, dad? Does it happen to involve a certain detective?" Trying very hard to keep the grin off his face as he recalled winning the bet, Castle replied.

"It might..."

"Come on dad, spill!" Trying to look innocent and failing miserably, his smile creased his face and danced in his eyes.

"Kate and I are meeting Ryan and Esposito later for dinner, their shout. We won a bet, so it's not like a date or anything, Alexis." Face flushing as he recalled the make-out session that morning, Castle couldn't keep the goofy grin off his face. Seeing the look, Alexis pressed him for details. Her voice suspicious, she asked,

"What kind of bet? What did you do this time?"

" _This_ time?" Trying to look affronted, he explained a little, trying to keep some of the details back. "I'll have you know, it was Kate's idea, not mine. And if you must know, it was to do with..." He paused for a split second, searching for the words. "It was how long I could play with my food before finishing it."

"Dad!" Her eyebrows raised, Alexis tried to wheedle the information from him. "As if Kate would come up with something that disgusting..." Unable to restrain himself, Castle retorted, still trying not to laugh.

"Her words, not mine, Pumpkin. 'Playing with your food', and I quote, although there were just desserts served afterwards..." He smirked. "Ryan and Esposito lost the bet, so they are shouting Kate and I dinner at Remy's tonight. I shouldn't be home too late. Do you promise to avoid doing your homework, and stay up until well past midnight?"

"I'm not the one out of us who is likely to misbehave here..."

"Well, how much trouble can your old man get into with three of the NYPD's finest at hand...?" A seconds' pause, and he cut her off. "Actually, don't answer that." Hearing keys in the door, he turned to see his mother sweep into the room.

"Richard! Alexis, darling! How was your day?" He stood and moved towards her. Hugging her briefly, Rick took his glass and placed it in the sink.

"Today was... long. I'm heading out to grab a bite with the guys now, actually." Not deliberately omitting anything, Castle still managed to give his mother the impression that there would still be discussion of the case over food. "I will see you both later. Don't do anything I shouldn't do!" He said, grabbing his jacket and heading for the door.

Dropping her bag next to Alexis', Martha poured herself a glass of wine and sat down on the couch next to her granddaughter. Drawing breath to speak, she noticed the picture still in Alexis' hand. Blinking rapidly, she looked at it, her body frozen in place as her mind spun.  _No,_ she thought frantically.  _Why would he have shown her that now?_

"Grams?" Her voice snapped Martha out of her daze. Seeing her grandmother focusing on her instead of the photo Alexis spoke again. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, darling. I'm fine. Where did you get that photo?"

"I came home and found dad sitting where you are, with a glass of scotch, and this. He told me that the victim in their latest case was the daughter of one of the men in his unit..." A wave of sadness on her face, Martha could do nothing but hope that her son could find the strength to keep himself from slipping back into the darkness that had driven him to the other side of the world and nearly took him from her for ever. A sense of foreboding crept into her as she drank her wine. She didn't believe in coincidence, not when it came to things like this. Unbidden, the words she had uttered as she had watched him board the transport plane twenty years ago rose in her mind.

 _Please, God,_ She silently begged, as fervent as the day he left last time.  _Keep my boy alive, and bring him home safe..._


	4. Explanations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies, folks... I've been meaning to transfer the rest of this fic to date over from where it's hosted, and have been busy/slack.
> 
> Hopefully, I will be able to get the remainder transferred for your reading pleasure. ;-)

**6:55pm Thursday, Remy's**

Castle walked in, nodding to the waitress as he made his way over to the booth he knew would have been reserved for them.

He saw Kate first, laughing as placed her drink back on the table in front of her. Her hair loose, Castle took a second to admire her stunning beauty, before sliding into the seat next to her.

"Hey guys!" He greeted them all. Glancing down, he saw that Kate had ordered his usual for him, a shake in front of the plate. Ryan and Esposito had their food already, apparently they were just waiting on him to arrive before starting.

Raising her drink, Kate threw the pair a smirk, toasting their bet.

"To playing with your food! Thanks guys..." Chuckling, Castle took a mouthful of his drink, still fighting to keep the grin off his face as he recalled exactly why he and Kate were having dinner at the expense of their team mates. Not wanting their food to go cold, they all started eating.

* * *

Castle placed his cutlery down on the plate and grabbed the remainder of his drink. Leaning back against the wall, he let out a satisfied sigh. He knew there would be questions, probably lots of questions, but for now he was content to sit back and enjoy the good food and company of his friends. Flashing Beckett a quiet smile, he swirled the dregs of his shake around the bottom of his glass. Noticing the others were almost empty, he signalled a passing waitress, who nodded, returning shortly with fresh drinks.

Taking a long swallow of his drink, Esposito looked over at Castle, a serious expression forming.

"Okay, Castle." He asked, deciding the time had come for the writer to start answering some questions. "Time to spill, bro. What gives with you and our vic's father? We heard you guys back at the precinct…" Leaving it open, he sat back in the booth, taking another drink, his eyes darting between Castle and Beckett. Seeing her evident lack of surprise at the way Johnson had addressed her partner, Esposito was pretty sure that she knew more than she was letting on. Taking a mouthful of his own drink, Castle glanced at Beckett, buying a second to think. Staring into the bubbles, he drew breath to speak, but was cut off as Beckett's cell rang.

"Beckett." A frown creasing her face, she nodded absently to herself before closing the phone and looking up. "We've got another body, guys. Uniforms on the scene thought it looked similar enough to our case they called us in on it."

"Where at?" Ryan asked, obviously frustrated that any further explanations would have to wait.

"6th and 15th, Brooklyn. Let's go, guys." Groaning, they stood up and left the diner, glad at least that they had managed to finish their meal before getting the call.

* * *

**9:35pm Thursday, 12** **th** **Precinct**

Beckett leaned back against the desk, staring at the murder board as it slowly filled up with information. In his usual place next to her, Castle sat, frowning as his mind whirled, trying to find a connection between the victims.

"Okay, so Lanie's preliminary says the COD is similar to the first victim." Beckett muttered, running what they knew through her head, unaware she was speaking aloud. Turning to look at her, Castle asked,

"How similar? Like 'close' similar, or 'psycho calling card' similar...?" Beckett turned, answering him.

"Initial findings only at this point, Castle, but it the would placement is nearly identical, and it looks like the weapon may be the same. It's enough for me to be fairly sure it's the same person."

"Damn." Castle muttered. Glancing up at the murder board, he continued. "No word on the ID yet?"

"Not yet. Fingerprints should be in tomorrow maybe, if he's in the system at all. Kid that age, I wouldn't count on it."

"How old?" Sighing, Kate pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Lanie estimates early to mid teens." They sighed in unison, frustrated again by the lack of major evidence. Silence filled the bull pit for a few moments, before her cell phone rang. "Beckett." She paused, listening. "Yeah, okay guys. See you then." Hanging up, she turned back to her partner.

"Esposito?" Castle asked.

"Yeah. They are done canvassing the area for witnesses. Not much more we can do until the reports start coming back in, sadly."

"Shall we call it a night then, Detective?" He smiled tiredly at her, straightening up and offering her his hand. Nodding, she accepted his wordless offer, pulling herself upright. Their hands lingered for a moment before Beckett turned towards her desk, breaking the moment. Switching off her computer, she grabbed her bag and headed for the elevator, Castle a pace behind.

Reaching her car, Beckett pulled out her keys and pushed the unlock button. Sensing the warm presence just behind her, she stopped as Castle reached past her to grab the door handle, opening it for her. A flush spreading up her cheeks, she felt her heart pick up its pace, just knowing that he was standing right behind her. Biting her lip briefly, she turned, whispering as she placed her hand lightly on his extended wrist.

"Who said chivalry is dead?" A little surprised at the unexpected contact, Castle felt his breath catch slightly as she touched his wrist. Regaining his senses somewhat, a small smile curved his lips as he let go of the door handle, his warm hand capturing hers. Lifting it, he brushed his lips across her knuckles, feather light as he responded, his voice deep and husky.

"Your chariot awaits, milady." Kate took a steadying breath, her eyes locked with his. A warm electric current flowing between them as he straightened, he lightly brushed his thumbs across her knuckles where his lips had been moments earlier. Used to his teasing innuendo, she was caught off-guard by his courtly manners. The gentle movements of his fingers, the unconscious grace with which he held himself at odds with the heat in his eyes, Kate found herself looking down briefly, before tilting her head back up, blushing as she batted her eyelashes at him. Unbidden, words spilled from her lips, more suited to a Jane Austen novel than the chilly car-park of a New York police garage.

"Why thank you, Mister Castle." Stepping forward, she raised their still-joined hands as she placed her hand on his chest, above his heart. Their bodies almost touching, Castle bent at the waist as he slowly brought his face closer to hers. Eyes locked, their lips touched lightly, delicately. Shifting slightly, he drew her to him, the contact between their bodies spurring their kiss deeper as he raised his free hand to caress her cheek, fingers tucking an errant wisp of hair behind an ear. Carefully reigning in himself, Castle slowly broke the kiss off, his breathing ragged. He couldn't stop a teasing grin from forming on his lips as he felt the effect the kiss had on the woman in his arms. He could feel her heart hammering, her breath light and fast as he drank in the sight of her. Stepping back, he immediately felt the loss as the cool night air rushed in, stealing their shared body heat. He bent briefly, kissing her knuckles once more as he spoke.

"Until tomorrow, Miss Beckett..." Letting her hand fall, his expression softened as he turned and walked out of the garage into the night. Closing her eyes briefly, Kate savoured the taste of him on her lips. Slightly giddy, she got into the car and started it. Grinning to herself the whole drive home, she couldn't shake the image in her head of one Richard Castle, dressed in the tight pants and ruffled white shirt of Mr Darcy as he strode across the landscape of her imagination.

* * *

**6:45am Friday, Beckett's Apartment**

Stepping out of the shower, Beckett wrapped a towel around herself, grabbing another and briskly drying her hair as she wandered back into her bedroom. Hearing her cell beep at her, she quickly twisted her hair towel into place and picked the phone up. Seeing the caller ID, she smiled, a little puzzled as to why her partner would be messaging her at this hour.

**-Hey you. Just letting you know I can't make training this morning, I have a quick meeting with Paula. Will still be in by 9 with breakfast & coffee *hugs*-**

Grinning at the causal hug he had slipped in at the end of the message, Kate felt a small flutter in her stomach, remembering the feel of his arms wrapped around her. Not quite as good as the real thing, she still felt almost as if he were there with her, hugging her. Grateful for his thoughtfulness, she quickly tapped out a reply and hit send. After their heated goodbye the night before, she was only a little worried about texting Castle hugs, still not exactly sure where they stood, where the lines were. Seeing as he started the whole hugs-via-text thing, she could see no harm in letting it play out.

 **-Thanks for the heads up. See you there. Good luck... *hugs*-**  Seconds later, she received his response.

 **-See you soon ;) *kiss*-**  A goofy grin firmly in place, she placed her phone back on the bedside table and continued getting ready for the day ahead, already looking forward to 9am

* * *

**8:50 am Friday, 12** **th** **Precinct**

Beckett sat at her desk, running her eyes over the file in front of her. A faint tingle told her that the evidence they had was going to lead somewhere. Absently, she glanced up at the elevators, then back to the clock. Realizing that she had just caught herself waiting for her partner to arrive, she smiled faintly to herself before standing up and making her way over to the murder board.

Uncapping the marker, she filled in the results of the fingerprint search which had been handed to her only minutes before. Placing the cap on the marker again, she leaned back on the desk, calling out to Ryan and Esposito.

"Hey guys, we have an ID for the second victim." Looking up, the other detectives walked over.

"Damn, that was fast for fingerprints. How'd we get so lucky?" Esposito asked, glad to have something solid to work with. Picking up the file again, Beckett replied.

"Looks like he was picked up last year for shoplifting. Jade Michaels, he'd have been fifteen next month." Before she could go any further, the elevator doors opened, and Castle headed over. Placing her bear claw on the desk between them, he perched himself on the edge and handed over her coffee. Beckett noted that both the other detectives had their attention on the murder board, and allowed her fingers to lightly brush against her partner's as she accepted the hot cup gratefully, a private smile flashing between them for a second before being wiped away, game faces on.

"I see we have an ID for our victim..." Castle observed, sipping his own coffee.

"Yeah." Beckett responded. "Fingerprints came through, he was in the system for shoplifting last year." She paused briefly. "Ryan, you take financials. Esposito, see if you can track down the next of kin."

Neither of them bothering to reply, they turned to their desks and started work immediately.

* * *

**10:15am Friday, 12** **th** **Precinct**

Beckett hung up her cell phone and proceeded immediately to the murder board.

"News?" Castle asked, glad for some progress.

"That was Lanie." Beckett replied. "Positive confirmation it's the same killer. COD was blunt force trauma to the head, and the number and placement of the pre-mortem wounds was identical."

"Do we have any idea why these kids?" Castle wondered aloud. "There isn't any sign of a sexual component. I haven't heard of a serial killer that would target both boys and girls that young, and not have that element present."

"Which leaves the victims being connected in some way..." Beckett replied.

"Yo, Beckett!" Esposito swivelled around in his chair, clutching a piece of paper triumphantly in one hand. "We got something!" He stood up and walked over, running his eyes over the notes he had jotted so far. "Next of kin is his mother, lives a few blocks over from where the body was found. I did some more digging, and it looks like she was the one who bailed him when he got busted last year. The investigating officer at the time chalked it up to youthful rebellion, but it looks like it might have been a bit more than that."

"How so?" Ryan chipped in, wheeling over in his chair.

"Well, it looks like our victim had a few minor run-ins with the law before he got busted last time. They date back almost two years. I ran the usuals on the family, and it turns out that was when his parents divorced. His mother got full custody, because his father wasn't able to provide full-time care, as he was out of the country for months at a time."

"Why would he do that?" Ryan asked, puzzled. In his experience, divorces usually ended up in fairly bitter fights over custody of children.

"Because he was in Afghanistan at the time. He'd been on deployment for three months when the wife had him served with the divorce papers."

A frown creasing his forehead, Castle looked at Esposito and back to the murder board, something nagging at the back of his mind. Quietly, he asked,

"Do you have the father's name?"

"Yeah." Esposito replied, glancing down at his notes. "Allan Michaels, why?"

"Any chance you can cross check where he's posted right now?" A puzzled look on his face, Esposito nodded, turning back to his phone and dialling.

Moments later, he turned back to them.

"The father is still in Afghanistan. He's with the Marine Corps... 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines."

Castle sighed heavily, his hands running through his hair. Seeing their looks, he shook his head, trying to clear the apprehension from his mind. "That's the same unit Melissa Johnson's father served in." He met Esposito's eyes steadily, his face carefully blank. He glanced over to Beckett and saw the concern in her face. He knew she had figured it out already. He sighed once more, forcing the words out.

"I think we have found the link between our victims..."

* * *

**11:50am Friday, 12** **th** **Precinct Break Room**

Castle stood in front of the coffee machine, operating on auto-pilot, his mind clearly elsewhere. Seeing his absent look, Beckett walked over to him, placing one hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

"Hey," She spoke softly, concern evident in her voice. Not even bothering to think, Castle turned and handed her a cup, simply assuming that she'd need one. A smile creased her face as she accepted it, her hand still resting on his shoulder, the warmth seemingly pulling him back from wherever his mind had gone. Her hand running lightly down his arm, she caught his fingers and pulled, wordlessly urging him over to the couch.

Sitting, his fingers still wrapped around hers, Castle closed his eyes briefly, trying to forget the demons of his past for a moment. The soft skin of his partner, the aroma of fresh coffee and the indefinable presence in the room that was just  _her_  all combined to bring him back to the present. Sighing, he felt some of the tension drain from him as he raised his cup and downed half, barely noticing the scalding temperature.

Searching his face for traces of how he was doing, Beckett ran her thumb across the back of his hand, saying

"You wanna talk about it?" Tiredly, Castle sighed and nodded, leaning against the back of the couch.

"Allan was one of the last men we had assigned to our unit before I was shipped home. I only knew him for a month or so, but it was enough. He was devoted to the job; I can see why he'd have not fought for custody of his son... I mean, I know I would have, in his place, but if he was anything like he was back when I knew him, I'd suggest that he never meant to have kids, and he'd have only gotten married because it was the right thing to do. He's a good man, don't get me wrong, but he'd have been happy to let Jade's mother do the raising one the divorce papers were served. He always struck me as somebody who would have been quite happy to spend the rest of his career deployed." He drained his cup and stared into it, seeking the answers to life, the universe and everything in the dregs of his coffee. "Mind you," He continued. "He might have changed. Twenty years will do that to somebody. I know I've changed a lot since then, maybe he has too..."

Eyes fixed on his face, Beckett replied, honesty threading through her words.

"Castle, you've changed a lot in the last three years, let alone twenty. But even if he hasn't, we'll catch the bastard that did this, you hear me?" Castle nodded, his face easing somewhat before she spoke again.

"We know there is some reason this guy doing what he is, but it doesn't seem linked to any of the usual motives... The money trail in both cases is no help, we know the children are connected, but we need to find something that links him to the victims..." Sipping her coffee, Beckett though about everything they knew to date and came up blank. Seeing her thinking, Castle did the same, trawling over the evidence in his head. The only solid things they had linking the victims were the shared Marine history of their fathers, and the brutal way in which they were killed. His mind seeking, he thought hard, trying to make the pieces fit in his head. Several seconds later, Beckett saw a spark in his eyes, a flash of an idea, quickly reigned in.

"Castle?" Still trying to keep his thoughts under control, Castle stood up, using their joined hands to help Beckett upright. Leading her out of the break room, he headed to the murder board, regretfully letting go of her hand before they exited.

Standing in front of the board, Castle unclipped the grainy camera shot of their suspect, a frown on his face as his fingers traced the man's features. Silence reigned for a minute as the others stared at him, watching the mental cogs turning as they waited.

"No, it couldn't be..." Castle's horrified whisper barely reached them, but it sent their minds into overdrive. "He couldn't have survived, could he...?" He turned to Esposito, his expression intent. "Do you guys have somebody who can age faces if you had a picture to work with?" Esposito nodded.

"Yeah bro. You think you got something?"

"Not yet... It's more of a wild theory at this stage..." He paused, thinking hard. His eyes widened as something occurred to him. Standing, he spoke quickly. "I need to make a couple of calls first..." He pulled out his cell phone and began punching numbers in as he walked down the hall. "Hey, Pumpkin... I need you to do something for me... Can you stay at Paige's for a couple of nights? I'll send the town car to pick you guys up after school… No, just something about the case, it could just me being paranoid again, but I'd feel better if you could."

* * *

**1:15pm Friday, Remy's**

"So, Castle..." Beckett said, swallowing a mouthful of her burger. "You feel like sharing your wild theory yet?" She glanced up at her partner, mechanically eating his food, his mind obviously anywhere but the present. Beckett saw his eyes the moment he returned, the knowledge of what he suspected causing a frown to appear almost instantly.

"I hope I'm wrong about it, Beckett, I really do, but the more I think about it, the more it fits..."

Beckett sipped her shake as she waited for Castle to elaborate. She didn't push him further; knowing he needed time to get his thoughts in order. Several seconds passed before he faced her, a pain like she had never seen before in his eyes.

"If I'm right, at least we'll have an ID and motive. I have no idea how the hell we are going to find him though."

"Who is 'him', Castle?" Tension still evident on his face, her partner frowned, replying.

"Goran Marenkovic. I don't expect you to find him on any of the databases. As far as I know he's never been in this country, and he's supposed to be dead."

"So why him?" Castle drained his shake, and ran his hands through his hair.

"It's the only theory I have that makes even the tiniest bit of sense." A wry grin on his lips, he quipped. "Not even my fevered CIA theories can come close to making a coherent theory out of this one, Beckett. This is the best I can come up with, and it'd be a long shot on a good day." The darkness creeping across his eyes once more, he spoke. "Can you wait until we get the pictures back from being aged before I share it and make myself seem completely insane?" He saw Kate's puzzled look, understanding that she was thinking about his usually insane theories. He responded to her unspoken question. "Not like this, Kate. This is straight-jacket insane, and I don't want to even let myself consider it properly until we have something more. If I'm wrong, I'd rather not get sent to the loony bin."

Beckett relaxed slightly, understanding his concerns. Standing, she left a twenty on the table for their food, and offered him her hand. Lacing her fingers through his, she squeezed for a second, comforting, before allowing him to open the door, his hand resting on the small of her back. A small tingle worked its way up her spine as she realised that he had kept his hand in contact with her as they walked down the footpath instead of slipping out of reach once they cleared the door. The faintest hint of blush crept across her cheeks as she bit her bottom lip, glancing over to look at Castle. Noticing her attention, he gave her a small smile, trying very hard not to focus on the fact that she hadn't shifted away from his too-casual touch. The small, intimate touches they had exchanged over the last few days had a tentative air, neither quite willing to simply reach out and touch the other for no reason, always masking it behind a gesture of comfort, fingers brushing, lingering, but still cautious. That was, of course, except for their kisses, the stolen moments of heat feeling almost forbidden.

Beckett knew that her partner had been holding himself back from anything overt or public, for fear of scaring her away. Actually, he was pretty spot on. He understood her fears, and knew without a doubt that she'd run if she got spooked. So he wrapped himself in iron bands of control, always offering just enough for her to decline if she wasn't quite ready. A smile lit her face as she thought about just how well he knew her, almost better than she knew herself at times. Finally, she decided that perhaps she could risk another step forward in their... whatever they had building between them. Unable to even label it a relationship in her own head at this point, Kate could see  _that_  particular topic approaching soon, and didn't know what she would do or say when it did. Ignoring the things yet to come for the moment, she allowed herself to drift slowly towards Rick as they walked. Her shoulder just brushing his, Rick was startled to say the least when he felt her shift her hips slightly, allowing his hand to slide from the small of her back to drape comfortably around her hip, her own hand sliding between his jacket and shirt, her fingers resting just above his belt. Almost stumbling, his eyes flew to her face a split second before his joyous grin was matched by her own.

* * *

Reaching the precinct, they drew apart in the elevator, their hands linking in the silence as they waited for the doors to open. Nervous glances flew between them, neither willing to speak, both grinning like teenagers on their first date. The elevator stopped, and they let go of each other, fighting to wipe the happy expressions from their faces. Poker faces in place, they walked back into the bull pen, the sparkle in their eyes the only visible sign of their lunchtime revelations.

His thoughts much clearer after talking with Beckett, Castle walked back up to the murder board, his face a little less worried than it had been. Reaching over to Ryan's desk, he grabbed a notepad and pen, quickly writing down a list of names. Tearing off the page, he handed it to Esposito, who looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Esposito, this is gonna sound weird, but I need you to just trust me on this. If my hunch plays out, it'll hopefully save us a few hours, and maybe stop this guy before he grabs somebody else's kid..."

"Sure thing, bro..." He replied, glancing at the ten names on the list. "What do you need?" Looking worried, Castle responded, his eyes already darting back to the murder board. He sighed, knowing there would be questions when they had a chance, lots of questions.

"I need you to call the Admin Sergeant at Camp Lejeune and run these names. I need their operational status, deployment location, and next of kin. If at all possible, current address and contact numbers as well. I need them cross-checked against the birth registry, see if they have any children. Anyone that pops goes on our potential victim list." He handed over a second scrap of paper, with one name written down. "I need this run past whoever is handling Foreign Liaison at the Intel Ops Division at Arlington. Tell them to run it past the Bosnian War records, he's a Serbian national. I need the most recent photo they have, and I need it aged to show what he'd look like today." Shocked, Esposito took a second to absorb the information, before a knowing grin formed on his face as he turned and picked up his phone.

* * *

**10:15pm Friday, The Loft**

Castle sat on the couch and sipped his wine in the subdued light, with some quiet, relaxing music keeping the silence at bay. Wineglass in one hand, he glanced down at the other, wrapped around his partner, idly tracing patterns on the back of her hand. Tension easing in his shoulders, he began to speak, the words slipping from him quietly.

"The more I think about it, the more I am sure it's him..." Beckett was unsurprised by his broaching of the subject again, knowing that it had been occupying most of his thoughts all day. She snuggled her face into his shoulder, one hand resting on his chest, playing with one of his buttons. Listening quietly, she let him talk it out, concerned about the case, but intrigued by the events of his past.

"Back when I was in Bosnia, my company came across reports of a group of Serbian soldiers who were causing a trouble. Their leader was terrorising the area: kidnapping, rape and murder. Dozens of people had disappeared over a week or so, they found the bodies beaten almost beyond being recognisable. Apparently, he'd oversee the beatings himself, and by the time we came along he was very good at it. The locals were terrified of him, so we didn't have much difficulty tracking him down, once we convinced them we would be able to take him out." He paused, finishing the last of his wine. "We caught up with him a week later. I was on patrol with my squad when we located his base camp. He had maybe fifty troops with him, vehicles, weapons, and it looked as though they were gearing up to move out. We got a visual confirmation of him there, and called it in. HQ didn't think we could afford to wait, so they told us to keep them pinned down until they could get air support." He took a deep breath and held it for a second, the images replaying themselves in his mind as he described the scene.

"We opened fire, and they went for cover. We had them pinned for a couple of minutes, before one of them got his hands on some RPG's. He got off a couple of shots that went wide, and we got word back that it was too risky for close air support. We landed a couple of mortar rounds in their camp, and one of them must have landed on whatever truck they were using to carry fuel or ammo on, because it went up in a big way. The blast knocked everyone down, pieces of the trucks going everywhere.

I don't know how long I was out, but I woke up in pain. I couldn't move, and Tommy was the one who dragged me free of the mess. We pulled back a hundred yards or so, and couldn't see any movement in the camp. We figured the blast must have either knocked out or killed most of them. Tommy practically carried me back to our camp, calling in a medevac chopper to meet us there. Turns out I got out of it with six broken ribs, a punctured lung, some internal bleeding, and somehow managed to tear all the ligaments in my left knee." He paused, lost in the memories of another time, half a world away.

"I got out of surgery, and Tommy came to see me, let me know just how badly it got screwed up. We couldn't see it when we saw them, but they had half a dozen local women in one of the trucks. They were killed outright, I suppose the only consolation was that they would have died quickly, unlike what would have happened to them when Malenkovic's troops were done with them." Castle paused, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall, remembering. "The squad that went in a few days later managed to account for most of the troops he had with him, but they never located his body. They assumed that he was in one of the trucks that blew up, and there wasn't enough of him left to identify. They found two of his sons though, apparently he'd brought them with him, they were in uniform, and old enough that we thought they were just more of his troops."

He sighed, letting the tension drain out of him as the nagging unease of the case was pushed aside by the feeling of contentment that flowed through him as he gazed down at the woman by his side. He smiled as he pressed a kiss to her hair, the scent of cherries filling his nose. His mind drifting, Castle allowed his thoughts to wonder at the turn of events that had lead them to here and now, snuggled comfortably on his couch.

A tickling in the back of his mind slowly grew. He knew he was happy with how things were progressing between them, but there were a few things that they hadn't even touched on, and neither of them had been willing to discuss the elephants in the room. Knowing it could blow up in his face if it went badly, Castle had a nasty suspicion it would come back to haunt them if it wasn't addressed at some point soon. He took a breath and held it for a second, trying to summon the courage to ask. Sensing his change in mood, Kate looked up at him, an unspoken question in her eyes. In his, she saw confusion, and determination, and... fear? Her own heart started to pound, wondering what he was about to say, afraid of what it could mean. Anxiously, she waited for him to work it through in his own head, giving him the chance to order his thoughts.

Placing his glass on the table next to the couch, Castle turned slightly to face her, his hand coming up to brush her cheek gently. His voice soft, hesitant, he spoke.

"Kate, I need to know..." He swallowed, continuing. "What are we doing? Where are we going with this, with us?" He closed his eyes briefly, an expression of distaste flickering across his face briefly. "What about Josh?" Blinking, Kate reached up and took his hand in her own, certain he would be able to feel the frantic beating of her heart through her fingers.

"Josh is not an issue, Rick. He went to Africa three weeks ago, and we talked before he left. He wasn't what I was looking for, it just took me a while to realise it. As much as we might have wanted it to be otherwise, we just weren't together enough for it to work. He asked me to take some time off work and come with him, but I couldn't, and he went anyway. It's better this way, for both of us, I guess." She paused, taking in the lines of his face, admiring the way his eyes seemed to see into her. Kate saw his face lighten, the fear falling away as he absorbed her words. All of her explanation summed itself up in his head in three simple words that lifted his heart from where it had fallen in his chest:  _no more Josh_!

Unable to repress his happiness, he leaned forward, capturing her lips with his own. His hand cupping her cheek, he felt her shift towards him, deepening the kiss as she wrapped one knee across him, straightening so that she straddled his lap. Gripping his wrists with both hands, Kate raised his arms, locking them behind his head as she kissed her way up his neck, the change in leverage bringing their bodies hard against each other. Rocking her hips, she felt Rick groan beneath her. Pulling her face back briefly, she saw the heat in his eyes as they flickered over her lips, red and swollen already as she ran the tip of her tongue across them. Flushed, she could feel the delicious thrum of energy between them, her breathing rapid and light. The feeling of him between her thighs driving her to distraction, she managed to drag her mind away from what she would rather be doing with him, back to the topic he had broached. Needing answers of her own, Kate ran her hands through his hair, revelling in finally being able to do something she'd been wanting for longer than she could remember. Realising she had managed to distract herself again, she tightened her fingers in his hair, pulling his head against the back of the couch.

"Now that you know Josh isn't in the picture, Rick, do you want to tell me if Gina is going to kill you for this?" His voice husky, his eyes never left hers as he replied.

"I'd have told you sooner, but it just never seemed like quite the right moment..." Rocking his hips into her, he grinned wickedly as her eyes slammed shut, a moan slipping from her lips. "I realised it wasn't going anywhere after the bomb. I got Alexis and Mother out of the city, but it never occurred to me to call Gina. The only people I truly cared about were either safe or standing next to me... I met her for lunch the day after, and ended it. I never mentioned it to you because there didn't seem to be any point since you were still with Josh." Unable to keep himself from her lips any longer, he raised his hands, one drifting lightly up her thigh, coming to rest at the small of her back, fingers teasing the bottom of her shirt up, drawing small circles on her bare skin as his other hand cupped the back of her head, fingers weaving into her hair, pulling her face down to his. Tongues duelling for dominance, the heat between them built rapidly, consuming them as they fought the need for air, both unable to break away.

Arching her back as she rocked her hips, Kate let out a gasp of surprise as his fingers dipped below the waist of her pants slightly, the feeling of his hand caressing her naked flesh causing her to bite down reflexively, not realising she still had his bottom lip between her teeth. A deep groan rumbled from Rick's chest as her teeth dug into his lip, his hips bucking as he pressed her closer to him, his hand slipped further under her pants, the curve of her backside filling his hand.

Engrossed in the rising tide of passion that gripped them, neither of them heard the keys in the front door of the loft. Unceremoniously dropping her bag and keys on the kitchen bench, Martha glanced around the loft, noting the subdued lighting and quiet music. Hearing the sounds of shifting weight on the couch, she assumed her son was slouched there, thinking about the case.

"Richard, darling, you wouldn't believe the night I've had…" She said dramatically, walking over to the lounge, eyes still adjusting to the dimness, her voice shocking them out of their make-out session. Her lips red, hair thoroughly mussed and cheeks flush with passion, Kate sat upright, her eyes wide and horrified as she met Martha's startled expression.

"Oh, God! Martha! I... we..." Kate stammered, trying to say something coherent that could possibly explain why she was on the couch, straddling Rick.

"Oh my! I... I'll just be in my room if you need me..." The actress recovered faster than Kate, not even bothering to hide the grin that nearly split her face as she quickly made her way out of the room. Castle groaned in frustration, his hands rubbing at his face as he tried to imagine something,  _anything_  less embarrassing. Placing his hands on Kate's hips, he sat up and pressed a quick kiss to her lips, letting her know that although he was embarrassed, he wasn't overly scarred by the ordeal. One of her hands in his, he steadied her as she climbed off him, still mortified, her cheeks blazing hotly.

"I... I'd better go." She muttered, straightening her shirt with one hand as the other tried to drag her hair into some semblance of order. Embarrassed as hell to have been caught making out in the lounge, Castle stood as well, a sheepish look on his face.

"Kate," He said reassuring her. "You don't need to go if you don't want to..." She glanced at her father's watch, noting how much time had passed since they sat down hours ago.

"I should probably go, Rick, it's getting late. We'll need to be fresh tomorrow..." Calmer now, she picked up her bag, walked to the door and opened it. Hesitating for a split second, she turned back around to face him. Biting her lip nervously, she stepped close to him, her hand resting on his chest as she looked up at him.

The faintest hint of a smile flickered around Rick's lips as he ran his eyes over her face, her eyes sparkling with adrenaline, cheeks still flushed. Gazes locked, he slowly bent his head towards her, fingers under her chin, tilting her head slightly as he brushed his lips across hers gently. Her hand clenching on his shirt, Beckett sighed contentedly as she let the kiss deepen slowly. She felt her back hit the door frame, realising that she had stepped back and pulled Castle with her. Both his hands cupping her cheeks, Castle playfully nipped at her lips as he peppered her with feather-light kisses, the gentleness of his caresses totally at odds with his hips pressing her firmly against the door frame.

Slowly, he pulled back, a chuckle escaping him as he heard a small noise of protest from her. Pressing one more kiss to her lips as she actually pouted at him, he smiled lazily. His hands resting comfortably on her hips, he whispered to her.

"Until tomorrow, detective."

A grin tugging at her lips, Beckett unclenched her hand from his shirt, smoothing the wrinkles out, before walking out the door and putting a little extra swing in her hips as she left.

Castle closed the door, a goofy grin on his face. Making his way back to the lounge, he raised his voice.

"It's okay, mother, you can come out now." He flopped back onto the couch as his mother walked back in. A knowing smirk on her face, she didn't say anything.

"So..." His forced casualness not fooling anybody, he kept going more for the look of the thing. "What brings you home at this uncannily decent hour on a Friday night, mother?" Deciding to play it his way, Martha frowned, recalling what had brought her back to the loft so early.

"You remember Madeline Bouvier?"

"The one who got that part in the play last month instead of you?"

"That's the one, conniving little mix! Well, I went to this little soireé tonight for the cast of the play I auditioned for yesterday, and you know what she went and did?" She didn't give him a chance to respond, continuing her tale. "Not only was she there, and we knew she didn't get the part, but the scheming so-and-so had the nerve to insinuate that the only reason I got the part was that I had been... overly friendly to the director!" She paused, still vexed about the social insult. "Anyway, none of the others believed her, but I just couldn't stay there another minute longer without doing something I probably wouldn't regret later." Martha sighed, finally relaxing somewhat.

"Anyway, Richard, I'm off to bed. Since the night has been an almost complete waste of my time, I might as well get some sleep out of it." She patted him fondly on the shoulder as she left the room. She turned as she reached the hall, an arch little smile on her lips as she spoke.

"At least one of us had a good time tonight, kiddo."


	5. Stepping Up

**8:40am Saturday, 12th Precinct**

A cheerful smile on his face, Castle passed a cup of hot coffee to Beckett, who was leaning against the desk as she ran her eyes over the murder board. She took a sip of her coffee, throwing her partner a grateful smile.

"Where are we on the potential victim list, Esposito?" She asked, her fingers wrapping around the coffee cup, absorbing the warmth. The Hispanic detective finished jotting a note on his pad and spun around on his chair, facing them.

"We have two from the list: Amanda Watkins, daughter of Michael Watkins, and Zac Dyson, son of Edward Dyson. Both live in the tri-state area, Dyson is back home on leave at the moment, Watkins is up in Vermont, visiting his mother." Hearing the detective's words, Castle let out a slow breath, his hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose, an unhappy sigh slipping from him as Ryan hung up his phone and joined the trio.

"That was tech. I got them to run traces on incoming calls to both houses for the last week, looking for short-duration calls from payphones. Nothing popped on the Watkin's place, but they logged one ten second call to the Dyson residence yesterday at 12:15. The call came from another payphone on the upper east side, not the same as the last one though, this one is a few blocks away from it. We should have video of him making the call in a couple of hours." Beckett put her coffee down and moved over to the board, uncapping the marker as she went. As she updated the board with the new information, she spoke.

"Okay, Esposito, we need to get a plain clothes detail on Amanda, see if we can get a visual on our suspect, or at least stop him from crossing her off his list." She re-capped the marker, and turned to Ryan. "Cross-check those payphone locations, and get an APB out for the car, and circulate the photos to the other jurisdictions. If this guy so much as shows his face, I want him brought in." She leaned back against the desk, sipping her coffee as she thought hard, trying to find something in the information they had that would give them something solid to move on.

**11:35am Saturday, 12th Precinct**

Beckett looked up as the uniformed officer handed her a folder. Opening it, she quickly scanned the documents inside, a triumphant smile on her face. Wordlessly, she handed the folder over to Castle.

Castle ran his eyes over the pictures in the folder, a mix of emotions swirling through him as he examined them. One photo showed an older, grainy picture of a lean figure in his thirties, uniformed and unshaven, getting out of a vehicle. The other photo showed the same face, but older looking, more haggard. The eyes, however, were identical, as was the look of cold disdain on his face. The last shreds of doubt fled from his mind, it was Marenkovic all right, alive and in New York, and hell-bent on revenge.

Seeing her partner still sitting unmoving, she stood up and made her way toward the murder board once more, one hand absently resting on his shoulder as she passed behind him. She paused, noting the tension in him, and let her free hand come up to his other shoulder. She stood still for a moment, before reaching around to grab the pictures from the folder. Wrapping her arms around him for a second, she briefly rested her forehead against his hair and wished that they weren't in the middle of the precinct, so that she could hug him properly. The elevator chimed the arrival of more people to the bull-pen, and Beckett straightened back up, giving his shoulder a quick, comforting squeeze before plucking the folder from his hands and walking over to the murder board once more. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Castle followed her over, leaning back against the desk as he watched the detective at work. They had a suspect, some leads, and a murder-board that was rapidly filling up. He smiled softly as he watched Beckett in her element.

Marker in hand, she quickly added the name underneath the suspect's pictures: Goran Marenkovic. Moving back to the desk, Beckett leaned back, her shoulder just touching Castle's, the immediate heat between them a welcome comfort as they both stared at the board, trying to force it to reveal some hidden clue.

**1:20pm Saturday, 12th Precinct**

Castle knocked on the door to Montgomery's office, Beckett by his side.

"Come in" The Captain said, looking up from his paperwork and smiling at duo. Motioning for them to take a seat, he asked,

"What can I do for you two?" Opting to stay standing, they both looked at the captain. Recent events having unearthed a lot of things he had thought to be buried, Castle slipped back into military mode. Clasping his hands behind his back, feet apart, back straight, Castle spoke quietly, his voice firm.

"Captain, I take it Beckett has given you a run-down of the case as it stands?" Seeing Montgomery glance over to his partner and nod, he continued. "I need to be there when we bring Marenkovic in, sir." Frowning slightly, Montgomery looked at the detective again, puzzled, he asked,

"Why wouldn't you be there, Castle?" A slight smile on his face, Castle shook his head.

"I don't just mean along for the ride, Captain. Marenkovic and I go way back, and there's no chance in hell I want Beckett anywhere near him unless I'm there with her. I know what he's capable of, sir. I want in." The captain laced his fingers together and turned his gaze to Beckett.

"Are you happy to have him along, Detective? I know you prefer him to wait in the car for the dangerous ones..." Kate grinned a tight smile, her eyes sparkling with repressed mirth as she responded.

"I think he should be fine to tag along, sir..." A little confused at the lack of protest from her, Roy leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers together as he wondered exactly how much the detective knew about her partner.

"If you are happy for him to be there, Beckett, I don't have an issue with it. Was there anything else?" Castle took a deep breath before replying.

"Actually, Captain, I was hoping to go in as proper backup." He shot Kate a look, pausing for a second. "I don't want either of us put at risk because I couldn't help sir. I would like permission to go in armed." Montgomery let out a heavy sigh. Looking back to Beckett, he raised his eyebrows in a wordless query. Beckett gave a single, decisive nod in reply. Taken somewhat aback, Roy glanced between the two of them, wondering exactly why his finest detective would suddenly be happy for her famous sidekick to carry a gun. How much did she know? Silence hung in the air for several seconds as the captain considered the request.

Unsure if he would approve, Beckett decided she needed to give the captain a nudge in the right direction.

"Sir..." She paused, shooting Castle a quick look. The barest of nods from her partner providing all the consent she needed, she went on. "Personally, I have no issue with Castle going armed. Honestly, Captain, his range scores are better than mine. I know he will be fine." His lips quirking into a grin, Montgomery's face eased as he replied.

"If he can pass the NYPD validation, he can go in armed, Beckett." Glancing at the author once more, his grin became a full-fledged smile. "I'm assuming your pistol licence and permit to carry are still current, Castle?" Beckett's jaw dropped as she looked between the two men. Seeing the look on her face, the captain elaborated.

"Detective, didn't you ever wonder why the NYPD was happy to let a famous author wander around behind you? You know he signed the waivers, but we had to run a full background check as well. If he was nothing more than a rich playboy, the negative publicity if he got hurt would be horrific, not to mention the risk he'd put you in. A Marine Corps Corporal with proven combat experience was whole different ball-game." He chuckled, relieved at last to be able to let the cat out of the bag. "To be honest, I was wondering just how long it would take you to realise there was more to Castle here than he let on." Addressing Castle once more, he asked, "Would you like to borrow a pistol, or bring your own?" The author grinned back.

"I work better with my own, sir. When would it be convenient for me to sit the validation?" Roy glanced at his desk calendar, then at the clock.

"Detective, can you spare your partner here for an hour or so? We might as well get this out of the way sooner rather than later. I'd rather we have it taken care of, in case you get a solid lead today." Montgomery stood up and made his way out from behind his desk. Recovering slightly from her shock, Beckett replied.

"Actually, Captain, we were heading out to grab a bite to eat as soon as we were done here. I'm sure we can head down to the range first." Beckett flashed him a grin, clearly wanting to be there when Castle did his validation. Ushering them out of his office, Montgomery fought to keep his face neutral as he wondered just when his best detective had taken to keeping regular lunch hours which included proper food. He had a suspicion Castle was the main reason, if the way Beckett's face lit up was any indication. Making a mental note to see what the odds in the pool were on the couple, he left his office behind them.

**1:30pm Saturday, 12th Precinct Pistol Range**

Castle stood behind the shooting table, earmuffs on his head, protective glasses on. Focused on the task at hand, he slipped his hand into the small of his back and drew his SIG P229 from under his jacket. Checking the safety was on, he ejected the magazine and locked the slide back and placed both on the table in front of him.

He glanced up as the Range Officer approached, a box of ammunition in one hand, two spare magazines in the other. Nodding to the author, the officer placed the items on the table next to the pistol and went to stand next to the captain.

Quickly emptying the rounds from his own magazine, Castle opened the box of ammunition and began topping the clips up, talking as he did so.

"My clips will only take ten rounds, so I'll only be putting up to that many in them for the validation. Not really fair to use something here that I can't carry in the field." He loaded ten rounds into each magazine, placing them in a neat line next to his pistol. Facing the range officer, he went on. "Three targets please. One at twenty, one at twenty-five, and the last at thirty please." The officer nodded and adjusted the targets as requested. Montgomery looked at Castle and back to Beckett, a little puzzled at the distances. Most officers shot at ten, fifteen and twenty metres, certainly not the ranges Castle had indicated. He addressed the author once more.

"In your own time, Castle" Nodding, Rick slipped the ear muffs over his ears and turned to face down-range, not noticing the figures of Ryan and Esposito quietly walking up behind the others, their faces afire with curiosity. Flashing puzzled glances at Beckett and the Captain, Ryan opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly silenced by a sharp look from their boss.

Castle took a steadying breath, releasing it gradually. His heart-rate slow, his hands steady, he paused for a second, hovering over the pistol on the table before moving. Smoothly, he picked up the first of the magazines, slipping it into the pistol without taking his eyes off the first target, his thumb flicking the safety off. The slide had barely locked into place when the first shots rang out, two rapid-fire bursts shattering the quiet. Beckett knew her partner could shoot well, but she had never actually had the chance to see him so focused. The last time she was down here with him, other than some flirting, he had casually fired three rounds into the ten-ring so rapidly she had almost missed it. This time, she paid close attention. Never blinking, his eyes locked on the target, his finger twitched rapidly on the trigger.

Noting the slide lock back, she realised he had already fired the first ten rounds off. Still in motion, he ejected the empty magazine, replacing it with the next one in the line, the slide slamming forward an instant before he resumed firing once more, the last spent case still airborne from the previous target.

He repeated the procedure flawlessly with the second target, this time a quick three-round burst, two single shots, and then the remaining five rounds. That clip now empty as well, he switched his aim to the last target, the final magazine slipping into the pistol as Kate saw his face crease into a grin, the staccato sounds of his firing blending into one almost-continuous sound, before fading as he ejected the final clip. Checking that the slide was locked back, he placed the cleared weapon on the table next to the empty magazines and lifted his ear-muffs off. All told, less than twenty seconds had passed from the time he picked the pistol up. Turning back to face the others, he was startled to see the other detectives, but nowhere near as startled as Ryan, who gaped openly at the author. Esposito was grinning at him, surprise and approval warring in his expression. Both having some idea what to expect, Montgomery and Beckett were still taken aback at the ease with which Castle had shot, the movements appearing to have come as naturally as breathing to the normally carefree writer.

Before the silence could be broken, the range officer approached again, the targets in hand. Collecting them, Montgomery held them up for everyone to see. The first target had two ragged holes in it, a small one between the eyes, and the larger one obliterating the ten-ring. The second target showed a little more variation than the first. A tight, three-shot group between the eyes, a single shot to each shoulder, with the same ragged hole in the centre of the chest as the preceding target. Stunned, they turned their eyes to the final target, and burst out laughing.

Opting for a more graphic demonstration of a controlled change of aim-point, Castle had placed double-taps where each of the target's eyes would be, a single shot for the nose, and the remaining five rounds forming an arc, completing a smiley face on the head of the black silhouette.

Castle looked at the Captain, his lips twitching as he tried to keep a straight face. Mirth dancing in his eyes, he asked,

"So, did I pass?"

* * *

**1:45pm Saturday, Remy's**

The sound of laughter rang out across the diner, the unrestrained enjoyment of the six year old from the next booth bringing a smile to Castle's face. Pausing for a moment, he was struck by a sense of deja-vu. Aside from the fact it was lunch time, they were in the same booth as they had been sitting in on Thursday night when they boys had had to shout him and Beckett dinner. No, he realised, it was more than just being in the same booth... They were all in exactly the same seats as that night, and to cap it all off, there was the same pregnant pause hanging in the air between them.

Buying a moment to collect himself, he flashed their waitress a smile as she placed their shakes on the table in front of them.

"Here you go, folks. Your food will be out shortly." Smiling politely at them, she spared a slightly longer smile for Esposito, her interest subtle enough to go unremarked but not unobserved by the detectives.

A knowing grin passing between them, Beckett picked up her shake and took a long drink. Their movements in synch, she placed hers down at the same time as Castle did. The silence from the other side if the table drew her attention to the fact that Ryan and Esposito were staring at them. Their silence had a certain directional component, and it was aimed squarely at Castle, and her to a lesser degree.

"So, Castle..." Ryan started, still trying to reconcile the amiable author he knew with the man who drew smiley faces at thirty meters with bullet holes. "You want to explain your badass shooting skills...?"

Castle sighed, knowing that the time had arrived for him to share some of his past with them. Talking about it with Beckett was one thing, but he wasn't really sure he wanted to go into to much detail with the others just yet. The case had left him raw, so he gave them the readers digest version.

"I got my skills the same way you did, Esposito, the hard way." There was a moment of silence, as Esposito thought. He had been thinking since the break in the case yesterday, and thinking hard. The sparring had raised his suspicions, the phone calls to Camp Lejeune had all but confirmed it, and the display at the range removed any doubts he might have had.

"Why didn't you say something earlier, bro?" His tone solemn, he asked the question quietly. A former marine himself, Esposito knew it was a loaded question. Everybody had their reasons for taking off the uniform, and if what he'd overheard in the precinct was any indication, Castle had almost been shipped home in a box. Rick raised his eyes to meet Esposito's.

"It was years ago, I… needed a change of scene, and signed up. I got banged up pretty bad on a mission, and took it as a sign that it was probably time to get out while I still could." The two shared a look, remembering the weight of the things they had both seen and done for their country.

Over the years together, Esposito had come to like the author for his cheerful, carefree manner and his infectious good humour. His appreciation for the mind that lay behind the facade had taken more time to form, but having lived through the same kind of experiences in uniform that he had, Esposito felt his respect deepen. His mind on the author's military past, he thought.

 _Ten_ _names..._  He mused.  _Plus_ _Johnson_ _and_ _Michaels..._ _And_ _'Rogers'_ _makes_ _thirteen._.. Quietly, he asked,

"That was your squad, wasn't it? Those names you had me run?" Castle sighed as he slumped against the back of the booth. He felt Kate's hand brush his thigh under the table, before giving it a reassuring squeeze, the gesture pulling him back to the present.

"Yeah." He replied. "Hadn't spoken to any of them since I got out of rehab though, until I ran into Tommy at the precinct." He paused. "I thought about it a couple of times, but by the time I felt like I was ready to, Meredith was already a few months pregnant, and I just never seemed to get around to it after that." He took a long sip of his shake, his free hand dropping below the table, fingers brushing the back of Beckett's. Immediately, she turned her hand over, lacing her fingers through his, her thumb rubbing small circles on his skin. Soothed by the contact, he met the inquisitive looks of the detectives across the table. "Marenkovic was my last mission over there. Warlord, brutalising the locals, we were told to take him out. The mission went screwy, and Tommy dragged me out. We were sure the bastard had died in the explosion, now we know differently." He took another sip of his drink. "Both his sons were killed, and it looks like he almost was as well. I have no idea where he's been the last twenty years or more, but he's out for revenge."

They absorbed the information silently for a few minutes, both noting the lack of surprise on Beckett's face as the tale unfolded. Obviously she had heard it before, if her look of concern was anything to go by. Their eyes darting between the two of them, Ryan and Esposito privately wondered when Beckett had found out about it, especially given how close to his chest Castle had played his cards. Deciding to change tack, Esposito asked,

"So, what was with the alias?" Never one to let go of something niggling at him, the Hispanic detective probed, curiosity aflame.

"No alias." Castle replied, a small grin teasing the corners of his mouth. Ryan raised an eyebrow slightly at the response, and even further when Beckett's grin spread across her face, her eyes dancing with repressed mirth as she waited for him to explain.

"With my name already on the best seller list, I couldn't exactly go in as Richard Castle, that'd just raise too many questions I didn't feel like answering, so I used my real name." Seeing their eyebrows shoot up, he realised they still had no idea what he was talking about. A twinkle in his eyes, he continued. "For detectives, sometimes you guys miss a few things. I changed my name to Castle when I released my first book. I kept the Richard, and picked Edgar as a middle name for obvious reasons." Still seeing the blank look on their faces, he sighed and elaborated. "My mother's surname is Rogers, right?"

"Well, yeah…" Ryan replied.

"So, since I don't know who my father is, it makes sense I'd have been born a Rogers. When I signed up for the marines, that's the name I went in under. By the time I was through basic training, I was going by Alex." He took another drink before continuing, noting the fond smile that formed on Beckett's lips when he mentioned his middle name. "I was sent on deployment with the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines when they went to Bosnia, which is where I met Tommy. When I got shipped back home, I took an honorable discharge, and haven't looked back. Until this week, as it happens."

Trying to pick his jaw up off the table, Ryan finally managed to speak.

"So, all this time running around with us, and you never thought to let us know you were in the marines?"

"As I said, I haven't looked back."

Sensing there was more to the story, Esposito leaned back against the wall of the booth, content to let Castle fill in the details later. He knew that even bringing that much information up had probably been harder on the author that the others realised. Shifting topic, he opted for something more cheerful.

"I knew you didn't get moves like that doing 'research', man... Although any time you wanna whump on Demming like that, I won't hold you back." He grinned wickedly. "It was  _so_  worth losing that bet."

"Oh hell yes!" Ryan quipped, a quick feed the birds happening between him and his partner as they both recalled the look on the hapless robbery detective's face as it slammed into the mat. Neither of them had had any particular beef with Demming until he had started ripping on what he thought was the author's lack of skills in hand to hand. From where they sat, Demming had it coming to him.

Castle laughed, relieved that they both seemed to be taking the revelations in their stride. Trying to hide the smirk on her lips, Beckett spoke up.

"Take it a bit easier on him next time, Castle... Assuming he's game enough to try for a rematch, that is." She bumped his shoulder with her own, before she casually stole one of his fries. Their gazes locked, Castle let his lips curve into a soft smile as he reached over and stole one of hers as payback, making sure to take a generous helping of sauce for good measure. Blinking rapidly, Castle remembered they weren't alone at the table, and reached for his shake again.

The sounds of him slurping the remainder of it through the straw were enough to draw the attention of Ryan, who had just finished his own burger. Glancing over at Castle and Beckett, he nudged Esposito, subtly drawing his attention to the fact that Beckett had reached across in front of her partner and lifted the top off his burger. Almost absently, she removed the pickles and placed them in her own, replacing the stolen food with the onions in her own. Putting the burgers back together, she slid his closer to him before biting into her own.

The movements weren't stealthy, a far cry from the theft of his chips earlier. This seemed almost... normal, something that had been repeated so often it was done almost without thought. Their brains whirling, the detectives realised that the dynamic duo hadn't eaten lunch in the precinct for over a week, instead returning from chasing leads after lunch break was over. While not unusual, it seemed to them like it was just a little too convenient, especially given how at ease they seemed to be with each other's food.

An almost imperceptible nod passing between them, Ryan and Esposito silently agreed to keep a much closer eye on the other two in the coming days, looking for any more signs that the relationship had progressed beyond the purely professional. After all, there was a substantial amount of money riding on them...

* * *

**7:45pm, Apartment**

Kicking the door closed behind him, he threw his duffel bag onto the floor, the sound echoing around the empty apartment. Sighing, he made his way to the shower, stripping off his dirty clothes as he went.

Three weeks with no running water, and other than sleep, a hot shower was what he craved above almost anything else. Steam filling the bathroom, he stepped under the spray and let the scalding water wash the dust off him. Grabbing the bottle of shower gel off the shelf, he began to scrub himself clean. The sounds of running water soothing him, time passed. At some point, he realised that he should probably get out. Seconds later, the water started to run cold.

 _Yup_ , He thought.  _Definitely_ _time_ _to_ _get_ _out._

Turning off the taps, he grabbed a towel and quickly dried himself. Throwing on a loose pair of sweats, he headed out into the kitchen, not really hungry, but knowing that he would be later on.

Opening the cupboards, he saw nothing that took his fancy, the only things in there were an old packet of spaghetti, and a box of cereal, which was probably stale by now. About to close the door, he saw something, tucked over the back. Picking up the bottle, he gave it an experimental slosh.

He was not one to drink much, the bottle was mostly full. He paused, the silence of the apartment echoing. Cold and quiet and... lonely.

 _Why_ _the_ _hell_ _not?_  He asked himself, heading to the couch.  _It's_ _not_ _like_ _I_ _have_ _any where_ _to_ _be..._  Unscrewing the cap, he brought the bottle to his lips and took a long swallow, the burn of the alcohol blazing a trail to his belly.

One mouthful became two, two became... more and more turned into him aimlessly shaking the now-empty bottle, wondering why the tequila was all gone. His brain marinating in a bath of booze, he carelessly dropped it, barely noting that it miraculously failed to shatter. Thoroughly intoxicated, but still not drunk enough to drown out the emptiness inside, he staggered to his feet, heading for the door.

Grabbing the leather jacket from the coat rack near the door, he slipped it on as he patted his pockets, making sure he had his keys and wallet on him, before pulling the door closed behind him.

The sound of the door closing halted him for an instant.

 _Pager?_  He thought.  _Nah,_ _fuck_ _it._ _I'm_ _not_ _on_ _call_ _until_ _Monday_ _anyway._  He turned back around and headed down the hall, weaving slightly.  _What's_ _the_ _closest_ _bar_ _to_ _here_ _anyway?_  He wondered.  _Guess_ _I'll_ _find_ _one_ _soon_ _enough..._

* * *

**9:30pm, The Old haunt**

Three empty shot glasses in front of him, and a fourth in his hand combined to make him a lot drunker than he had been when he left his apartment. Sitting in a booth by himself in the corner, he placed the now-empty glass on the table, next to the others. Focusing for a moment, he forced his hands to be steady as he lined the glasses up in a row, finding it more difficult than he expected.

Giving up on the task for the moment, he glanced around the patrons. Even this early on a Saturday night, the place was full of people, the noise of drinking and merriment filling the place with ambiance. Then he saw her through the crowd, heading to the bar.

 _Alone..._  He thought, surprised.  _Maybe...?_

The sound of laughter filled the air around the bar as Beckett made her way to grab some more drinks. Ryan and Esposito were only half way through their beer, so all she needed was one each for her and Castle. A silent nod to Brian behind the bar was all that was needed, and he grabbed the glasses. Sitting on a bar stool, Kate relaxed as Brian placed the glasses under the taps once by one, filling them with a nod and a smile for her, he knew better than to allow her to offer to pay for it.

"There you go, ma'am." He said, placing the glasses in front of her. Her attention on Brian and the drinks, she failed to notice the body that flopped somewhat unsteadily onto the stool next to her. She didn't, however, miss the arm that wrapped around her shoulders. Startled, she turned.

"Cast…" She froze for a second, expecting to see her partner next to her, and to give him a scolding for showing such open affection in front of their friends so soon. Dimly, she noted that her partner was still seated in their booth, laughing with the others. The arm that wrapped around her shoulders without so much as a hello was, however, connected to a leather jacket that she knew very well. Her eyes followed the arm up, meeting Josh's eyes. Sending a heated glare at him, she shrugged her shoulder, abruptly dislodging his arm.

"What do you think you are doing?" She hissed at him, furious.

"What does it look like, babe?" He said, confusion evident on his face. "I'm trying to hug my girlfriend…" Beckett's face hardened as she smelt the alcohol on his breath.

"I'm not your girlfriend any more, Josh. I told you that before you went to Africa. We're over, Josh. No more. And for the last time,  _do not_ _call_ _me_ _babe_!" Her voice rising at the last, Kate's glare pinned him in place.

"But I thought that…"

"You thought wrong, Josh." She cut him off. She saw the hurt in his eyes turn to anger as he glanced around the bar.

"What are you even doing here, Kate? This isn't a cop bar…" His words slurring slightly, she didn't miss the fact that he had a little difficulty holding himself upright.

"I'm here with friends, Josh. I know the owner. That's what people do on a Saturday night when they aren't elbow deep in bodies, or had you forgotten?" Trying to keep calm, she glossed over the fact that Castle owned the Old Haunt, knowing that in his current mood, it was liable to set Josh off.

Hearing the distinctive tones of an angry Beckett, Castle glanced up, seeking her out. When he saw her still at the bar, he stood up and made his way over to her. When he saw who she was with, he quickened his pace even further. At his abrupt departure, Ryan and Esposito paused, watching as events unfolded.

His tongue darted out, wetting his lips slightly as he said "I haven't forgotten what we…"

Beckett saw Josh's eyes flick down her body, lingering on the hint of cleavage showing. Her embarrassed blush covered by the flush of anger in her face; she almost regretted wearing that particular shirt. Almost, because the way Castle's eyes had lit up when he picked her up from her apartment had made her feel warm and safe, appreciated and attractive, and that made the leering from a drunken ex that little bit more tolerable. She cut him off again, sick of his inability to accept the fact that he wasn't going to get what he so obviously wanted from her. 

"No means no, Josh. Leave. Me. Alone." Catching sight of her approaching partner in her peripheral vision, Beckett turned, her eyes flashing, her expression softening slightly as she saw him. Not even acknowledging Josh, Castle stepped in close to her, his arm sliding easily around her waist, a quick one-armed squeeze conveying comfort. Deciding that the chances of Josh being persuaded to let the matter drop outweighed her reluctance in going public with their relationship, Beckett slipped her arm around Castle's hips, fingers resting casually just above his belt.

"She said she's not interested, Davidson." Castle turned to the doctor, his eyes like chips of ice. His face heating as he saw Castle's arm around Beckett, Josh stood up, wobbling only slightly.

"What is it to you, writer-boy?" His hand slipping slowly down Beckett's hip, Castle straightened. Feeling the shift in his stance, she could read the tension in him and knew that things could get very ugly, very fast.

"A couple of reasons, actually…" Castle replied quietly, the easy, calm tone of his voice at odds with the energy thrumming through his body. "Firstly, the lady said no." He dipped his head briefly as he leaned in and placed a soft kiss to her hair. Unable to stop the grin forming on her face, Beckett tilted her head slightly accepting Castle's subdued gesture of affection despite the very public setting. "Secondly, she's with me, and I say no." His voice hardening, he let go of Kate and shifted slightly, placing himself between the two of them. "And lastly," He said, voice low and menacing. "It's my damn bar, and if I say you go, you go."

 _So_ _much_ _for_ _'needing_ _some_ _time_ _apart_ _to_ _work_ _through_ _some_ _stuff'.._. Josh thought bitterly, wondering exactly how long she'd waited before throwing herself at the writer. _I_ _bet_ _I_ _wasn't_ _even_ _on_ _the_ _bloody_ _plane._  His lips twisting into a sneer, Josh ran his eyes over the writer in front of him, seeing only the expensive clothing, and the styled hair of the playboy façade. His pride stung beyond measure that Beckett had chosen the playboy over himself, something in Josh snapped, anger filling him as he spat back.

"Yeah? You and what army?" He stepped forward, both hands pushing Castle in the chest. The instant his hands made contact, Castle stepped in, his right hand gripping Josh's right and twisting hard as his left hand gripped the right elbow, locking it straight. Pivoting in place, Castle used Josh's stiff arm as leverage and slammed him face first onto the polished wood of the bar. Castle spoke through gritted teeth as he leaned forward, his voice low and dangerous.

"I don't need an army, Davidson. This is your last warning. Take whatever you have left of your dignity and get the hell out of my damn bar, before I throw you out myself, got it?" He held him there for several seconds, waves of fury rolling off him as he glared down at the drunken doctor in front of him. Finally, Josh nodded once, bitter resignation on his face.

Finally, Castle released him, keeping himself readied in case the surgeon tried something else. Straightening up slowly, the surgeon lifted one hand gently, feeling his bruised cheek-bone as he stretched his neck out. Without a backwards look, he stormed angrily towards the exit, still unsteady on his feet.

His eyes following the departing form of the beaten doctor until he was out of sight, Castle turned back to face Beckett.

"You okay?" The anger faded from his face as he looked her over, seeing her slightly shaken, but intact. Stepping closer to her, he raised one hand, finger tips brushing her cheek as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Turning her head slightly, she let her lips brush the inside of his wrist for an instant as she smiled at him.

 _Damn,_ She thought, absently.  _I_ _barely_ _saw_ _him_ _move,_ _and_ _he's_ _not_ _even_ _breathing_ _heavily._  Far from defenseless herself, Kate found the thought of actually allowing somebody else (well, a certain somebody else) to step up oddly thrilling. In the mood Josh had been in, she doubted that she'd have been able to dissuade him without causing him pain, and it didn't hurt to have him know that she wasn't available, either. Beckett had been training with her partner on more than one occasion, and knew he was more than capable of taking care of himself. Hell, watching him and Esposito spar was practically a lesson by itself. Still, it was something else to watch him in action for real, not in the safe, controlled arena of the sparring mats. Not even the barest moment's hesitation in him, he'd moved almost before Josh had started to raise his hands. Moving so rapidly she'd nearly missed it, Castle had applied exactly the minimum amount of force required to deflect the attack, and stop it from happening again.

"Yeah, Rick. I'm fine... Just caught me by surprise, you know? This was the last place I was expecting to run into him." She drew in a deep breath to settle herself, his scent filling her, soothing and comforting. Looking up at him, she allowed her eyes to wander freely over his face, tracing his lips, admiring the lines of his chest.

The bar around them fading into inconsequence, eyes locked, neither of them noticed Ryan and Esposito, who had left their booth as soon as Josh had shoved Castle. Less than ten feet away now, Esposito saw them having a 'moment', and whipped out his phone. Seconds later, a triumphant grin on his face, the detective slipped the phone back into his pocket an instant before Beckett blinked rapidly and grabbed their drinks from the bar.

Passing Castle his fresh beer, they clinked their glasses together in a silent toast, and both took a long drink. Finally noticing the approach of the other detectives, they were immediately wary when they saw the smug grins on their faces.

"So guys..." Ryan asked, drawing the words out.

"Anything you feel like sharing with us?" Esposito finished the question, giving his partner a fist-bump, grinning at each other as they saw the 'we are so busted' look on the faces of their friends.

 

 


	6. Busted

In the back seat of a cab, the poor lighting not bothering her at all, Lanie Parish slipped her lip gloss out of her purse and expertly applied a layer. Capping the small tube, she pressed her lips together, parting them with a kissing motion. Grinning to herself, she relaxed, her ensemble complete for the night.

Her curves sheathed in a maroon strapless dress that stopped just short of mid-thigh, she pulled her wrap around her shoulders, already planning how her night would go once they all left the bar.

 _Javi's not gonna know what hit him._ She thought, her lips curving in an appreciative smile as she let her mind drift, admiring the remembered feel of his muscles under her fingers. Her musings were interrupted as her phone chimed once, an incoming message no doubt. Opening her purse, she rummaged for a moment before locating the offending article.

Sure enough, it indicated one new picture message received. Curious, she unlocked the phone and saw that the message was from Esposito. Opening the message, her mouth fell open as she took in the image on the small screen. Her mind whirling, she scanned the picture for details, trying to decide if it was a prank of some kind. Zooming in on the image, she decided that it was exactly what it looked like: Rick Castle, up close and being openly tender with Beckett, at the bar in public no less.

Her fingers flying across the keys, Lanie knew better than to try to call Beckett in a bar on a Saturday night. Hitting 'send', she let her friend know by text that there were some questions that demanded answers, and those had better be forthcoming  _soon_.

* * *

**9:45pm, Saturday, The Old Haunt**

Castle's eyes darted between the two detectives and his partner.

"Uh..." he hesitated, not sure what they had seen, and trying frantically to come up with a vaguely believable cover story on the fly. "Beckett's ex was being a douche and I asked him to leave?" His expression tightened as he tried to stop his mind dwelling on the sight of the drunken doctor with his arm draped around Kate's shoulders.

Beckett looked at Esposito's face, and saw that he wasn't buying it. Expressions identical, she could tell Ryan wasn't fooled either. Sighing, Kate realised that there was no point hiding it any more, at least from their friends. Reaching out, she laced her fingers through Castle's, tugging him closer. Her gesture startling him slightly, Castle wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Stepping forward, he turned slightly so he was facing the other two, his leg between Kate's thighs, not quite touching.

"Josh thought he'd try to get me back..." Kate said, her thumb absently drawing small circles on the back of Rick's hand. "And wouldn't take 'no' for an answer." She swallowed and looked up at Castle. Seeing the happiness dancing in his eyes behind his poker face, she continued. "He was less than impressed by my current choice of boyfriend." Looking back at Rick, she relaxed, letting her smile show through. A pleased burn starting low in his chest at her words, Castle almost had to physically restrain himself from doing a happy dance. Even though the word 'boyfriend' took him back to being an awkward teenager, the simple fact that Kate felt comfortable enough in him, in  _them_  to put a label on their relationship filled his stomach with a warm buzz. Castle wouldn't have broached the topic himself, in case the idea gave Beckett a reason to take a step back, and certainly not in public. Now, 'ecstatic' didn't even begin to cover it.

"So..." Esposito spoke, trying to make sure they weren't just toying with him. "You two are...?" He paused, looking between them, noting their body language. "It wasn't just to get Josh to leave you alone?" The detective pressed, offering them an out, wondering if they'd take it and run. In the back of his mind, he knew the picture he'd taken and sent to Lanie would go a long way to backing up their theory.

Castle looked at Beckett, the question in his eyes. The bar faded around them as they focused on each other. In perfect synch, the conversation flowed wordlessly between them.

 _What do you think?_ Castle asked silently, his head tilting slightly.  _Should we...?_

 _I don't know... Too much too soon?_ Kate's eyebrow raised a fraction.

 _I'm fine with it, but you already knew that, didn't you?_ His lips twitched at the corners, the faintest hint of a smile repressed.

 _You're not exactly subtle, you know..._ An affectionate grin lit her face, before she gave an infinitesimal shrug.  _Ah, hell... why not?_

The entire exchange took less than a second, with Ryan and Esposito watching on like spectators at a tennis match. Used to seeing the duo bouncing theory in front of the murder board, they usually had to verbalise their thoughts, the other finishing the line of speculation. Now, the whole thing was silent, their expressions flickering from one to the next with barely a pause.

The detectives stood there, somewhere between stunned and impressed. That was nothing, however, to the look of shock that covered their faces when Rick turned to face his partner, stepping even closer to her, his legs pressed against the inside of her thighs. Their hands moving in synch, Castle and Beckett both placed their drinks back on the bar, eyes still locked on each other. Expecting some form of physical harm to come to Castle, the boys mentally braced themselves for the fallout. The lack of immediate pain being inflicted gave them pause, before their mouths fell open as Castle brushed the back of his fingers gently across Beckett's cheek. Pausing a moment, he searched her eyes. Satisfied with what he found there, he lowered his lips to hers.

Lightly at first, unused to such open displays of affection, Kate soon lost herself in the kiss. Her fingers falling free of his, she snaked her arms around his waist, under his jacket and pulled him closer. Stroking her tongue across his bottom lip, Beckett immediately slipped into the wet heat of his mouth as his lips parted for her. Tongues lazily caressing, she felt a small moan of pleasure escape when one of his hands trailed around the base of her neck, nails raking gently across her skin. Her appreciative noise swallowed by his talented lips, Kate sighed and let her forehead rest against his when the need for air surpassed their rapidly mounting desire.

Still breathing heavily, they locked eyes again as Rick brushed the tip of his nose against hers. Lips slightly swollen form the intensity of the kiss, he whispered to her, voice soft and intimate, despite the crowded bar.

"Thank you." He brushed his lips across the tip of her nose, unable to restrain the smile that lit his face up. Flexing her arms, Beckett urged Castle towards the bar, letting him lean against it and still keep his arm around her shoulders, her right arm draped casually around his hips, his thigh still between her legs.

"Does that answer your question, boys?" She challenged, the edge of her look softened by the smile on her lips. Gaping, Esposito stood there at a loss for words. Before he could come up with something to say, Beckett's phone pinged.

Unwilling to let go of Castle right at the moment, she squeezed him slightly, glancing up at his face. Understanding, Rick reached across in front of himself and dipped his hand into her pocket, withdrawing her phone for her and placing it in her free hand.

Unlocking the screen, Kate chucked as she saw it was a text from Lanie. Letting out an audible sigh of relief that it wasn't anything work-related, she quickly read the message. Short and to the point, it read simply:

_Girl, you got some explaining to do!_

Tilting the screen so her partner could read the message, Kate grinned, relief buoying her. Unburdened by having to restrain her affections for him in public, she relaxed into his side, happier than she had been in a long time. Whilst not the most pleasant of experiences, the encounter with Josh had brought the issue of exactly where she stood with Rick, where they were going to a head. Now that the air had been cleared, Beckett felt... safe. Safe in the knowledge that he wasn't going anywhere, that he knew how she felt, and that this time her heart wasn't going to get trampled on as he left with his arm around a certain blonde ex-wife.

The rumble of Castle's chest as he chuckled while he read the short text caused her to squeeze him a little, the one-armed hug bringing his torso flush with her side. Locking her phone, Beckett looked over at the Latino detective, asking,

"Hey, Javi... when is Lanie supposed to be here again?" Wondering how much time she had before she had to face an interrogation, Kate glanced at her father's watch briefly. A knowing grin spreading across his face, Esposito replied.

"I thought she'd be here by now, actually, Beckett." He nudged his partner, the duo exchanging identical smirks, both certain that the ME would be giving her best friend the third degree in short order.

Looking a little worried, Kate swallowed nervously. Making out with Rick in front of the other detectives was one thing, facing her best friend and trying to explain exactly how long she'd been more than 'just friends' with her partner and why she'd kept it to herself was something else entirely. Sensing the thread of tension in her, Castle glanced over to Ryan and Esposito, trying to get them to drop it, at least for the moment. His wordless gesture went unheeded, however, as the pair in question had already left them at the bar, heading back to the booth to guard their food from a group of rowdy youngsters heading towards the apparently unoccupied space.

Picking up her beer from the bar, Castle passed it over to Beckett, her free hand taking it from him, fingers brushing against his a moment longer than necessary. Collecting his own drink, he raised the glass towards her. Tapping her drink against his once, Kate took a long pull, sighing as she lowered it.

"So," Castle asked, taking the bit between the teeth. "You have a plan for when she gets here?" Shaking her head slightly, Beckett waited, open to crazy theories.

"Well," The author said slowly. "As I see it, we have two options... We can stick together, and hope she can't get both of us at the same time, or cut her off at the pass. I know she'll want to drag you off to the little detective's room to powder your noses at some point. If you keep her out here, she won't be able to corner you, and it won't leave me alone with Ryan and Esposito..." He said looking more nervous by the minute at the thought of getting the 'your body will never be found' speech from them.

Before he could say anything else, their attention was caught by the diminutive medical examiner walking through the door of the bar. Her pace never slowing, she headed directly for them at the bar, expression fixed, her heels striking the polished floor like the approaching hammers of doom. Shifting his grip, Castle urged his partner to stand, shepherding her back towards their booth, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Lanie. Letting Beckett slide into the seat before him, Castle braced himself for what was to come.

 _At least,_  He thought. W _ith Kate between me and the guys, I should be a little safer, and I'll be between her and Lanie..._

Swallowing nervously, he let his arm wrap around Beckett's shoulders, her hand immediately gripping his thigh, fingers digging in as she gripped him tightly. Barely settled, they both jumped slightly as Lanie arrived, her glare firmly in place. Raising an eyebrow at her friend, who had the good grace to blush and offer a hesitant grin, Lanie gave the two of them a long, probing look before sitting herself down next to Esposito. Distracted from the impending interrogation by the outfit she wore, Javier shot her an appreciative grin, his eyes roving her curves for a moment before he snapped himself back to the situation at hand.

In his attempt to shield them from the worst of the questioning, Castle had neglected to realise that the seating arrangement placed him and Beckett on one side of the table, with Esposito and Lanie on the other, and Ryan sandwiched between the two couples. The walls of the booth offering them some degree of privacy, Kate and Rick felt the uncanny resemblance to an interrogation room keenly as they faced the others across the table.

"Hi Lanie..." Kate said, aiming for casual, but missing it by a fraction. Arms crossed, Lanie's eyebrows climbed her forehead.

"Don't you 'hi Lanie' me, Katherine Beckett." The ME said, her tone frosty. "Just when were you planning on telling your best friend you were knocking boots with Writer-Boy here, huh?"

 _Oh crap..._ Kate thought, her hopes of both of them getting out of the night with their dignity intact fading rapidly.  _Here goes nothing..._

Their hands lacing together under the table, Rick pressed a brief kiss to her hair, ready to face the music, together. They were in for a long night...

* * *

"Er..." Kate said, speaking quickly. "How are you?"

Silence hung in the air for a moment, then Kate swallowed when she saw the ME raise an eyebrow, her expression stony. Her laser-glare shooting between the couple on the far side of the table, she waited, her lack of words more effective than ranting.

"I..." Kate began. "Er, we..." She gave up and sighed, dragging her fingers through her hair. Turning to her partner in crime, she shrugged.

"It's... still new." Castle said, a soft smile creasing his face. His eyes sparkling, he lifted their joined hands, resting them on the table in front of them. "We didn't tell you because we were still figuring things out. It only came out tonight because...well..." He trailed off. Seeing the look of confusion on Lanie's face, he realised that she hadn't seen the incident with Josh, and given the timing of her arrival, Esposito wouldn't have had time to fill her in yet. Beckett resumed the explanation, knowing full well that the Readers' Digest version wasn't going to cut it.

As the tale of Dr Davidson's epic miscalculation unfolded, Castle watched the expressions on the ME's face. Blinking, she looked at the writer with a new-found respect, still in the dark about his history.

"You've been holding out on us, Castle?" She asked, fighting back a grin at the description of the brief altercation. Never really a fan of Josh, Lanie had known from the first time they had been introduced that Beckett was settling for less than she deserved. As perfect as he was on paper, the surgeon had only ever been a rebound. He'd served a purpose, soothed the jagged edges of Kate's broken heart after she had had her hopes dashed when Castle left for the summer with his ex wife. Beyond that, Josh just hadn't been able to see past the detective's infamous walls. He'd taken her at face value, missing out on the complex layers of subtext which her absent partner had been adept at interpreting.

Reaching out, Rick picked up his beer and took a slow pull. A wry twist to his lips, he replied.

"A few skeletons in the closet, I suppose..." He flashed a charming smile at her. "You didn't think Meredith and Gina were the worst that I'd had to deal with, did you?" He let out a sharp breath, his face covered in mock indignation as Kate elbowed him in the ribs, unable to keep a straight face.

"Rick!" She hissed, trying to bite back the amused chuckle that threatened to escape. "Behave!" Nudging her back with his shoulder, Castle leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. Glancing back over to Lanie, he saw the look she was giving them, and he laughed out loud.

"What?" he quipped. "It's not like we need to keep it under wraps now, is it?" A smirk forming, he flicked his eyes the distinct lack of space between the shocked medical examiner and the Latino detective beside her. "Unlike some..." He trailed off suggestively, abruptly changing the direction of the inquiries.

Lanie spluttered, practically jumping sideways several inches as she sought to distance herself from the object of her affections.

"Richard Castle, don't you try to turn this around!" She retorted, trying to gain the advantage once more. "We've been waiting  _years_ for you two to pull your heads out and get together." Hiding a blush, Kate rested her head against her partner's shoulder, chuckling at their stubborn refusal to see the obvious. Enjoying the discomfort of her best friend, she fired back, a teasing glint in her eye.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, Lanie. Neither of us could see the forest for the trees... What's your excuse?"

"I'm sorry?" The ME replied, her eyebrows climbing. She leaned back, folding her arms. Unfortunately for her, the movement brought her into contact with Esposito's arm, casually slung across the back of the booth. The instinctive curl of the Hispanic detective's fingers against her skin sending sparks of awareness chasing across her, Lanie fought to keep herself still, her air of affected nonchalance fooling absolutely everybody who  _wasn't_  sitting at the table, and certainly not escaping the notice of her best friend. Kate waited, her pointed silence a vacuum aimed squarely at the woman across from her. Lanie fidgeted under the intensity of the scrutiny, before giving up with a sigh. Her mumbled response almost inaudible from the other side of the table, she was forced to repeat her answer a bit louder than she'd really wanted to at the unsubtle look she received from Beckett.

"We were hoping everyone would be so focused on you two dancing around each other that we'd be able to slip under the radar..." She spoke quickly, not meeting Kate's eyes. Looking up, there was a moment of silent exchange between the two women, before they both nodded almost imperceptibly. In response, the detective answered.

"As soon as this case is done, Lanie. We'll make a night of it." She winked at her friend, both certain that neither of their respective partners would be attending  _that_  get-together. Mollified, the petite medical examiner settled back in the seat. Her memory throwing up a card, she drew breath to ask another question, her attention once again firmly on the author currently taking a long pull of his beer. Before she could speak, Esposito let his arm drop from the back of the booth, his hand resting on her shoulder. Tugging her a little closer, he spoke quietly.

"I'll explain it later, Chica." He knew that the revelations about the previously unknown back-story of their friend wasn't exactly something that Castle was fully comfortable with being discussed, especially in a crowded bar on a Saturday night. Given how long it'd been buried, and his own experiences on active service colouring his thoughts on the matter, Esposito felt that it would be best to let it drop. Abruptly switching topics, he spoke up.

"Drink up, guys! I'll grab the next round, and then we'll see if Writer Boy can put his money where his mouth is at the pool table." A broad grin on his face, Castle picked up his beer and raised it towards his foe, clinking the glasses together.

"You're on..." He quipped back, his eyes sparkling with amusement. Downing the rest of his drink, he placed the empty glass on the table and slid out of their booth, extending his hand to Kate as he stood. Placing her palm in his, Beckett gripped and tugged, pulling herself towards him. Standing, she kept hold of his hand as she stepped close, delighting in being able to relax around their friends at last. Bumping her hip against his, the detective shot him a smoky look, the challenge written clearly across her face.

"Come on, Castle. You gonna show Espo what you're made of?" Keeping his face carefully under control, the author flicked his eyes to Javier, still seated. Noting the way the other man had frozen in place, his glass still raised to his lips, Castle chuckled. Slinging his arm casually around Beckett's waist once more, he pressed the advantage, his voice teasing.

"Feel like making a small wager on the outcome?" Esposito paused, weighing his options against the possibility of getting taken to the cleaners again.

 _What the hell..._  He thought, keeping his eyes locked with Castle's. Draining his beer, he put the glass down firmly and stood up. Swagger firmly in place, he shot back confidently.

"You're on."

* * *

**10:15am, Sunday, 12th Precinct**

"Thanks, Jones." Kate hung her phone up, a tight smile on her lips. Turning, she met her partner's eyes and spoke, her voice clipped. "That was the plain clothes detail on Amanda Watkins. They think they've seen Marenkovic this morning. Nothing concrete, but they caught a glimpse of a guy fitting the general description."

"It'll be him." Castle replied, certainty lacing his tone. The sudden wash of energy that flooded his system had him almost squirming in his seat. Needing to move, he stood abruptly. Walking briskly over to the murder board, he paced back and forth, the air of a caged leopard swirling about him. Drawing a deep breath, he forced himself to hold it for a moment, before letting it go slowly. Somewhat calmed, he glanced back over his shoulder at the detective. Seeing the same barely-repressed urgency in her face, he flashed her a grin. Her eyes locked on his, Beckett reached out and grabbed her coffee, standing as she took a mouthful. Swallowing, she let the silky flavour wash across her tongue, the heat spreading through her. Her heels clicking on the floor, she crossed the room in a few strides, coming to rest next to the author. Leaning back, she felt the absence of his warmth keenly. A little surprised at herself, Kate realised that it had taken her a shockingly short amount of time to become used to the feeling of his solid bulk next to her, the brush of his knuckles against hers, or the easy way they fit together jarring when they were forced to restrain themselves where they might be seen.

Beckett was relieved that their friends knew about the blossoming relationship between the two of them, but that was a far cry from having the rest of the precinct aware of the situation. A frown creasing her brow, the brunette turned her head to the side, nudging Castle with her shoulder. Her voice pitched so low as to be almost inaudible, she spoke.

"What about the captain?" Rick blinked once, caught a little off-guard by her abrupt shift of topic. His mind bringing him up to speed, he answered quietly.

"We should tell him, Beckett." The look of nervous worry that crept across her face somewhat softened by the way she chewed on her bottom lip, Kate waited, needing to hear  _why_. Explaining, the author continued. "He may be your boss, but he's our friend as well. Technically, it's not against the rules, and it's not as though this changes anything for us beyond what we get up to in our time off." He chuckled, a wry grin creasing his lips. "Besides, he'd know something was up the next time he came round for poker anyway..." Beckett's short burst of laughter rang out across the bullpen, thankfully filling up rapidly with other officers already. The background noise covering her outburst for the most part, she only attracted the attention of Ryan and Esposito as they exited the elevator. The duo exchanging knowing glances, they simply shook their heads at the couple apparently lounging around in front of the murder board, accepting the new normal as they joined them leaning against the desk.

"Yo..." Esposito spoke up, the faintest trace of his hangover still visible from the night before. "We got something already?" Beckett spared him a sympathetic look, the memory of their impromptu competition still fresh in her memory. Eschewing money as an incentive, Castle had suggested that they line up shots, with one being downed for each ball sunk by their opponent. The Hispanic detective had downed shot after shot as Castle methodically cleared the table, an untouched row of glasses still in front of him. Resigning himself to the inevitable headache, Esposito privately resolved to never bet against the former Marine again unless he was _certain_  of the outcome.

"Plain clothes got a possible visual on Marenkovic." She took another sip of her coffee, running her eyes over the details on the murder board again. "They'll call it in if they have anything more concrete." Nodding, Esposito glanced at Castle, noting the coiled energy rolling off him, despite the apparently casual way he leaned against the desk. Satisfied, Javier continued over to his chair and fired up his computer, flopping down with an audible sigh, not looking forward to a day of waiting, despite the vastly increased chances that they would be called out at any moment.

Scrolling through the few emails he had received overnight, he paused, a slight shift in the atmosphere registering on his senses. Keeping the rest of his body still, he darted a quick look at the duo, still ostensibly looking at the murder board. Their heads leaning toward one another, they seemed deep into one of their increasingly common wordless conversations. Holding his tongue, Esposito watched, wondering what it was they were  _actually_  talking about. The slightly worried cast to Beckett's face gave him his first clue, only reinforced by the brief, sidelong glance over at the window to the Captain's office. Castle, for all the reassurance in his face, was as nervous as his partner, although he was doing a passable job of hiding the worst of it. Understanding burst in Esposito's mind as he put the signs together, and he knew exactly why they were both edgy. He knew the captain was a friend of Castle's, and that their boss viewed Beckett as almost a surrogate daughter, but that didn't change the fact that he was still her superior, and the NYPD had some very strict rules about fraternization between partners. He sighed quietly, not willing to interrupt, and turned back to his desk. Seeking out a stack of unfinished paperwork to keep his mind off the impending issue, he picked up his pen and knuckled down, determined to get as much done as he could before the call came to roll out.

Their eyes locked, oblivious to the silent scrutiny of their friend, Beckett and Castle stood there, ostensibly going over the known details. Internally, they were discussing what might be the most important decision to affect their working careers in a very long time. A resigned look passing across her face, she nodded almost imperceptibly.

"No time like the present, I guess..." She muttered, knowing that there was precious little they could do on the case until the call came in from the plain clothes officers. Shifting her weight, she stood, her eyes lingering on her partner. Hesitantly, she paused. "Castle?" She asked, fighting the nerves that threatened to rise up inside her.

"We've got this, Beckett." He replied, standing as well. The movement spurring her to life again, the detective pivoted on the ball of her foot and headed towards the captain's office, her ever-present shadow at her side. Relief washed through her the instant that he'd spoken, knowing that he'd be with her as she informed Montgomery of the change in the nature of their partnership.

Her stride firming as they made their way across the bullpen, she let the confidence that she felt scour away any uncertainties. Raising her hand, she knocked on the door frame, glancing around the edge to see if Roy was occupied.

"Beckett?" He spoke, glancing up from the paperwork he was scanning through. "Come in..." Kate stepped into the office, with the author close behind. His eyes flicking between the duo, Roy placed his pen across the top of his keyboard and leaned back in his chair, easing the muscles in his lower back. "What's up?" He asked curiously. He noted the way the detective swallowed nervously before taking a breath, and his anxiety levels increased. It wasn't often that he saw Kate Beckett nervous, and it rarely boded well when she let such obvious signs of discomfort show.

"Sir, I..." She gulped, her eyes darting to Castle once more. The slight nod he gave her stiffening her resolve, she started again. "We need to talk to you, Captain, about a personal matter." Roy laced his fingers together and rested them on the desk in front of him. His eyebrows climbing slightly, he had trouble masking his surprise. Given the case, he'd been expecting something related to that, not a personal matter. In fact, he realised that he had trouble remembering the last time Beckett had felt the need to come to him about something not work-related. Inclining his head, he replied.

"Rick, would you mind shutting the door?" Turning on the spot, Castle closed the door with a brisk movement, the sharp click echoing oddly in the sudden quiet of the office. "Take a seat, you two." Montgomery instructed, when the author had turned back towards him once more. Waiting until they had both seated themselves, the Captain met their eyes in turn. "You were saying, Beckett...?" The detective closed her eyes for a second and let out a short sigh.

"Captain, there's something you should know." She paused, her eyes darting towards her partner briefly. She cleared her throat, and smoothed the expression from her face. Speaking in a formal tone, she continued. "The nature of the relationship between myself and my partner has changed to the point that I am required to inform you of it."

Roy blinked twice, as he fought to keep the corners of his mouth twitching into a grin. He'd long-suspected that their attraction was mutual, and he was impressed with the level of restraint they had both shown while they were on the clock. Needing to obey the protocols, he asked,

"Would you classify your relationship as no longer professional?" He noted the slight wince, barely hidden by Beckett. Speaking up, Castle responded on her behalf.

"Still professional... but there is now a personal, romantic side as well." Rick met her eyes, and Roy could see the way their dynamic had shifted. Kate's eyes softened as she looked at the author, her entire posture relaxing slightly. Wordlessly, she reached out and deliberately laced her fingers through his. The warmth of his hand soothing her, she let a shy smile blossom across her face. Turning back to her Captain, she let out a short chuckle as she realised that far from preparing to rake her over the coals, Montgomery sat in his chair barely repressing a knowing smirk, the mirth dancing in his eyes.

Clearing his throat, Roy eased himself back in his chair, steepling his fingers together in front of his face. The grave tone of his voice totally at odds with his expression, spoke.

"Thank you for informing me, Detective..." He paused, watching their faces carefully, then continued. "I'm still not sure why you felt the need to let me know in an official capacity though." Seeing the blank looks in both their eyes, Roy let the smile he'd been holding back crease his face. "Whilst you are a valuable asset to the NYPD, Rick, you're not on our payroll. The rule about fraternization between partners doesn't apply to you two."

The immediate sigh of relief that escaped from the couple's mouths descended into subdued laughter as the full import of the revelation sank in. Far from having their partnership dissolved, they would be allowed to continue working together as before. The captain cleared his throat, dragging their attention back to him. "As long as you keep it on the down-low, there won't be an issue." He paused, his smile lighting up his face. "I only have one more thing to say on the matter... congratulations. You guys are made for each other." Roy chuckled, enjoying the still-stunned looks the pair opposite him wore. "Was there anything else?" He asked, traces of amusement threading through his voice.

Mutely, Beckett shook her head, her thumb absently tracing aimless patterns on the back of her partner's hand. Standing, she felt the gentle, affectionate squeeze of Castle's grip before their fingers parted. Reaching out, the author opened the door and stepped back, letting her go through in front of him. Pausing in the doorway, Beckett glanced back at the captain. "Sir?" She swallowed, the sheer relief written plainly across her face. "Thank you..."

* * *

**12:30pm, Sunday, 12th Precinct.**

The sharp ring of the telephone shattered the busy quiet of the bullpen. Reaching out, Beckett answered, her no-nonsense tone firm and decisive.

"Beckett." She paused, then replied. "We'll be there in ten." She hung the phone up and turned to face the boys, who had perked up at the sound off the phone. Standing, she called out, the rush of adrenaline lacing her voice. "Plain cloths just got a confirmed visual on Marenkovic. We'll meet them there and bring him in." Castle grinned, the slow, feral baring of his teeth sending a chill down the Detective's spine as he moved towards the elevator.

"Lets do this..." He said, smoothly switching mental gears into combat mode. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he barely kept himself in check as they waited for the elevator, each second seeming to stretch out longer than the last. With a soft ding, the doors parted, and the foursome piled in, all more than ready to bring the case to it's conclusion.

* * *

**12:37pm, Sunday, outside Frank McCourt High School, West 84th Street**

Beckett pulled the car over, somehow squeezing it into a gap that by rights should have left a significant amount of paint on the sidewalk. Before she could kill the engine, Castle had his door open. Drawing breath to call out, she saw that he had headed around the back of the car, obviously intent on grabbing their ballistic vests. Popping the trunk, Beckett undid her seat belt and got out, slamming the door closed almost as an afterthought. Flashing her a tight, eager grin, Castle held his hand out to her, the dark blue of the ballistic vest clutched in his fingers. Taking it from him, the detective slipped her head and arms through the holes with practiced ease, shrugging her shoulders to settle the extra weight. Glancing over to her partner, she noted that he'd already donned his own. She blinked, the sight of the solid, close-fitting black vest a stark contrast to the usual 'WRITER' emblazoned across his chest.

His eyes flat, Castle pulled out his pistol and checked that he had a round chambered. Releasing the slide, he slid the weapon into the holster on his hip on auto-pilot, his thumb flicking the safety to make sure it was still on. Clipping the strap over, he secured his sidearm.

The sober reality hit Beckett suddenly. She was still thinking of Castle on some level as the happy go-lucky author, always ready with a joke and a charming grin. The rapid, methodical way he went about getting his equipment in order hammered home that this was what he had been trained for. The former marine stepped close, his hands reaching for her waist, fingers deftly seeking, testing to make sure the velcro straps were in order. Kate felt a flush of warmth wash through her at the immediacy of his presence, her own hands raising automatically to repeat the procedure on him.  _This_  was real, tangible, the way they looked out for each other, their wordless link keeping them in tune.

Pausing for a split second, their eyes met. Castle dipped his head forward, his lips ghosting across hers for the briefest of moments, before the subtle shift in pressure told the detective that he was smiling. Her own grin stealing across her face, she reached down and slapped his backside, watching the shock flash into the endless depths of his eyes. Letting out a short bark of laughter, he pulled back, matching her challenging stare blink for blink.

"Beckett?" He quipped, the teasing tone belying his nerves. "I've got plans for you when this is over..."

Kate  _growled_ , her fingers, digging into the belt loops of her partner. Yanking him back towards her, she leaned into him, her lips sealing against his as her tongue parted his lips hungrily. Releasing her grip on his belt, she threaded one hand into his hair, her fist tightening as she kissed him, hard fast and brutal. Her growl swallowed by his own, Castle responded, his tongue parrying with hers as he devastated her mouth, his hands spanning her waist as he held her close. Nipping at his lips, Kate had to fight hard not to wrap one leg around his hips and draw him closer, the rising tide of lust mingling with the adrenaline coursing through them, threatening to pull them under. Breaking for much-needed air, the sound of their panting mixed together as their foreheads touched. A strange blend of want and peace suffusing the pair, they drew the brief, stolen moment into themselves.

" _Now_  we can go..." Kate muttered, a faint blush staining her cheeks as she ineffectually tried to smooth down Rick's hair, so thoroughly mussed only moments ago.

 


End file.
